Maastricht through the eyes of visual artist Sanne Vaassen
The Jan van Eyck Academie Academy in Maastricht has produced many well-known artists, including visual artist Sanne Vaassen (1991). Her work deals with themes such as ecology, geography, history and anthropology and can be admired at home and abroad. She has exhibited at the Bonnefanten in Maastricht, the Unit 1 Gallery in London and 601Artspace in New York, among others. In 2015, she received the Artist Start contribution and in 2019 the Artist Base contribution from the Mondriaan Fund. She was nominated for the Sybren Hellinga Prize and the Amsterdam OPEN Prize and won the Parkstad Limburg Prize. Sanne will take you on a journey through her cultural experiences in her hometown of Maastricht. A city that, according to Sanne, owes its cultural status to the people who live there, including Academy students.
Meet Sanne
Sanne lived in Heerlen until she was 11, after which she lived in several places in South Limburg. She currently lives and works in Maastricht, but travels all over the world as an artist-in-residence (artist invited to live and work abroad temporarily). 'I always questioned everything, was always curious and I still use that in my work today. When I was 15, I signed up to do preliminary training one evening a week at the art academy in Maastricht. From there, I progressed to art school in 2009.' Sanne graduated as a visual artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts cum laude in 2013. In 2014 and 2015, she was a resident at the Jan van Eyck Academie.
'A common thread in my work is the search for alternative facts, which I explore by dismantling, shifting, twisting and reshaping objects, concepts and materials. I often deconstruct objects that have a certain meaning and value within our society. For instance, I have reduced flags to loose threads, torn money into pieces, burned dictionaries and cut out all the borders of an atlas. Then I reassemble objects in a different form. Things that we have made up ourselves, that are communally once determined and established as starting points, I want to question them.' In her spare time, Sanne enjoys taking walks around St Peter's, doing yoga, reading books or taking a dip in the Meuse or the swimming pool.
Sanne's time at the - Jan van Eyck
'I went on from art school to the Jan van Eyck Academie Academy as a 23-year-old. 'I was surprised to be accepted, as they only accept 40 artists a year. I learned a lot there from the other participants and the studio visits with professionals in the field, such as curators, museum staff, writers. Each week there were lectures to which artists, curators or scientists were invited. Afterwards, one of the participants cooked and we ate and drank together. We also organised film nights, walks, discussed books together and danced regularly.
The academy is very international, with participants from different countries and coming from different disciplines. All these different disciplines and nationalities help me see my own work in a different context. Thanks to the Jan van Eyck Academie Academy, I have been able to develop my work further.'
During her stay, she came up with a project she worked on for three years: Fractals. 'In autumn, I collected all the leaves from a tree in front of my house. Every day I picked up the fallen leaves. There were a bizarre number of them. I dried the leaves and put them in slide frames. They were projected in a large room in Buitenplaats Kasteel Wijlre, where visitors walked through the tree, so to speak.' Sanne still works regularly in a rented workshop at the Jan van Eyck Academie. 'It really feels like coming home. Everyone comes together here and shares with each other.'
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Jan van Eyck Academie
Jan van Eyck Academie
The Jan van Eyck Academie is an international post-academic institute for visual arts. More info on Jan van Eyck Academie
Sanne's favourite places in Maastricht
LOCOtuinen
As a child, Sanne enjoyed helping out in the large garden of her parents' house. Now, from April to October, she works two days a week in the LOCOtuinen. These gardens in the Heer district of Maastricht are a citizens' initiative. With a subscription, residents can harvest organic vegetables there. 'I plant vegetables, weed and maintain the gardens. Food is so important and gardening takes me back to basics. Everyone should experience the process from planting a bean to harvesting ten beans. It would be valuable if this becomes part of the education system and is taught from a young age to care about food and environment.'
Marres
Marres, House for Contemporary Culture. 'This place is special to me because I have been coming there for so long. During my studies at the art academy, I volunteered there during openings and worked in the restaurant. Since then, I have participated in exhibitions there three times. The exhibitions here are dynamic and very much engage the senses.' Marres is in a 17th-century house and also really feels like a home. The garden is also very beautiful.' You can walk Sanne's scent walk here all year round.
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Marres, House for Contemporary Culture
Marres, House for Contemporary Culture
At Marres, you will find changing contemporary art exhibitions, lectures, performances and projects of international standard. More info about Marres, House for Contemporary Culture
Mount Saint Peter
As a child, Sanne loved walking on Brunssummerheide. 'I built huts there and watched birds. Hiking is still a big part of my life. I recently took a hike in Scotland.' Closer to home, she likes to hike at Mount Saint Peter (Mount Saint Peter (st. Pietersberg Hill)). 'I also use hiking to clear my head and come up with new ideas.' For a break while hiking around St Peter's, Sanne recommends Van Wijck.
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Mount Saint Peter nature reserve
Mount Saint Peter nature reserve
Rest, relaxation and enjoying nature together can be experienced during a visit to this special place, a stone's throw from the city centre. More info on Nature reserve Mount Saint Peter (Natuurmonumenten)
Sannes studio
Sanne's studio is also in Maastricht. It cannot be visited publicly, but is one of the most important spaces in Sanne's life. 'In this place I unwind and do research. I come up with new concepts there and work them out. It's a bright space where I like to spend time.'
More Jan van Eyck - and Sanne
The Jan van Eyck Academie has existed for over 75 years and is still taking on new residents every year. We can also expect more art from Sanne. She is now working on a project about water. 'The project Hydromedia was set up by the HKU in Utrecht, The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and Kunstacademie HFG in Karlsruhe. Four artists per location will stay there for a month and exhibit at a retrospective at Technische Summlungen in Dresden.' Her website lists Sanne's exhibitions.
