Marlene Dumas, 1953

While she lives and works in The Netherlands, the artist was born and raised in South Africa, and her paintings have often drawn from her own experiences of living with apartheid.

From 1972 to 1975 she attended Cape Town University, where she studied for a BA in Visual Arts. She then completed her studies in Haarlem, in the Netherlands.

She has lived and worked in Amsterdam since 1976. From 1978 she has exhibited internationally. Her first major solo exhibition, 1989, opened abroad three months after the birth of her daughter in the Kunsthalle in Berne.

In the past Dumas produced paintings, collages, drawings, prints and installations. She now works mainly with oil on canvas and ink on paper. The sources she uses for her imagery are diverse and include newspaper and magazine cuttings, personal memorabilia, Flemish paintings, and Polaroid photographs. The majority of her works may be categorised as 'portraits', but they are not portraits in the traditional sense. Rather than representing an actual person, they represent an emotion or a state of mind. Themes central to Dumas' work include race and sexuality, guilt and innocence, violence and tenderness.

Marlene Dumas has received several awards and honours.

Although she has had Dutch nationality since 1989, she has said:

Someone once remarked that I could not be a South African artist and a Dutch artist,

that I could not have it both ways.

I don’t want it both ways.

I want it more ways.

 What did you get from the group?

"I attended this course in October and I'm very satisfied of it!! I think it is an interesting course because it introduced me to new artists and I met new people. But the most important thing that this course has given me is the rediscovered desire to create. I rediscovered the perfume of art that I had long forgotten and abandoned for too much time. So I want to thank my teacher Dagmar, who has managed the creative environment and the interest for art that inspired me so much. And thanks also to my mates that have given inspiration to me as well."

"I have been introduced to female artists whose work has often moved me quite profoundly. Their work has inspired me to experiment with different media and develop my own ideas."

 

"This Art Escape Group has been a great thing for me. Having somewhere to go to learn and practise art, learn new skills learn about new artist. Everyone should have such a wonderful experience and an amazing group to go to.

I would love to think such a program would continue for a very long time. The diversity of the group makes the experience much better. My hopes are to keep coming for it is realy a great program."

"The group provides a safe haven for me, a place where I can believe I am useful and have talents. I can express myself and for a short time I am free."

"Being involved in this project has given me confidence and belief in myself, thank you." 

 

"What does Art Escape mean to me? This is one of the times when you rather feel the answer and it's hard to transform feelings into thoughts. I belive that all the things that happen to us are not sudden and happen for a reason. I've joined the group when I've reached another crossroad in my life. Being the part of the group helped me to confront some of my doubts and move forward with head held high. I'm very grateful to Dagmar who helped me to find strength to make silent that annoying voice stuck deep in your head always telling you that you'd never make it as an artist. 

So what does this group mean to me and how I see it? It is obvious that Art Escape has nothing in common with traditional art classes that everyone's get used to. No one would tell you what to do and how to do it. It's not about teaching art, but giving advice when you need it and encouraging you to BE an artist. It's about freedom of expression. It's about revealing to yourself of who you really are and studying your inner self through the prism of art." 

"When I am in the group I feel safe and confident. I was very nervous to go to the group at first and now I look forward to it very much."

"I think that the best way to describe what this group has ment for me, is with a sentence that we commented at the group, from Louise Bourgeois artist "Art is a guarantee of sanity". I recive so many things from coming to this group and all of them are very important, among them the change of expresing myself, to run away from every day problems and to dedicate my time to what I consider my passion. I am able to express myself through the colors, the brush-strokes and words, because in this group we share ideas, feelings and knowledge. I get also the chance of forgetting about my everyday problems: Starting a life in another country is never eassy, because you arrive alone to a country where you have no friends, no home, no job and on top of this all the difficulty of not speaking the language. Having this space and creating at the Art Escape has given me the chance of being able to leave all this difficulties a side for some hours, to finally centre my energies on myself. Last but not least, I have to thank the group for allowing me to back to my passion: painting. It was something that I was constantly doing as a child, but the circumstances of adulthood have put this passion in a second place. Coming here as a group, having the space and the inspiration of the artists we talk about, has motivated me to come back to one of the things I enjoy the most. Because of all of this I am thankfull to the group, and I really hope it will continue."

"My first time in the Art Escape group was amazing, I expected it to be boring, however I was encouraged to try different things I had never tried before. It did great things for me. I am more bold and so much more confident."

"Before joining this group I didn't expect much I just wanted to get away from the reality of my everyday experience and the tedium of responsibility. This group has taken me back at least twelve years and restarted inspiration, creation and purpose. The artistic space, full of other woman's art has encouraged me to work hard and find myself and let me flourish as an artist in a vibrant creative enviroment. Thank you."

"The Art group has restored my faith in myself. It's great to be surrounded with women with similar interests who encourage me."

"The idea of identifying with the pioneering artists is fantastic. I love it, we learn about them, talk about them and are inspired by their personal lives and problems and the way they have coped."

"A great group, so different, so inspiring, so encouraging."

"Some of the famous female artists I have learned about has been fascinating. I would never have even known about them if I did not go to the group."

"I feel noticed, I am part of this group. I am proud, I am listened to and respected. No one laughs when I try to do something different and maybe don't get it right."

"I joined in the Art Escape group in January and since then I enjoy every day I go there. Generally speaking, life is full of stress, emotions, feelings, fatigue, happiness, passion and whatever else you would like to include here. So all these feelings and actions in my life I can express in this group. The process of creation reminds me a deep state when your unconscious mind improvises and you are able to create everything you want, where there is no restrictions and general rules , when you are the artist, you are the boss. I am very happy to be a part of this group. It gives an opportunity to be a part of the greatest world of artists and felling that you are able to create something interesting too. Besides, the general atmosphere in the group is really relaxing... everybody is open minded, friendly and ready to discuss the art, caused impressions or new ideas."

"Last year have been quite difficult for me and I'm glad I've come across Art Escape. You boosted my confidence and saved me from horrible thoughts, thank you.

I love that Art Escape is a women's only group so there is no competition between males and females. I love its cultural diversity, too – we're from all over the world and this is our strength.

To most people I know I'm a mother of two children. To Art Escape members I'm somebody with unique painting style. And this feels fantastic!"