Transforming Vulnerability Into Strength | Irene Hoff
Irene Hoff is a Dutch national living in the tropical setting of Bali.
She is an artist working with mixed media to create layers on a canvas, a symbolic representation of scratching away at a surface and revealing a truth. Irene aims to transform "vulnerability into strength" through her work.
One of her series focuses on women and how society labels them, while her Animal Extinction animal treatment by making them look a little larger than life.
She was an early creative forerunner using the focal points of contemporary social justice
The pinnacle of her work’s recognition was helping with the construction of Luna 2 Studio Hotel in Seminyak, Bali.
The novel boutique hotel’s architecture takes on a 70’s Sci-fi theme, as if you’re in Space Hotel in the James Bond movie Moonraker.
“Engaging with the owner and designer of the hotel allowed my art to grow into the house style of this amazing boutique hotel. I loved working in a team and doing this project together with creative minds.”
In her series Animal Extinction, she aims to be the voice of the animals.
By using acrylic and printed coated paper with thicker layers of paint mixed with glue, she is able to create more depth in art. Combining this technique with the photos of photojournalist Paul Hilton, she produces a final product that got the recognition it deserves.
“One of my paintings was signed by nature warrior and activist Leonardo di Caprio, and was part of an auction to raise money to save wild life in Asia. I got a lot of energy out of the cooperation with parallel-minded people like Paul and Leonardo.”
Women and animal rights make up the majority of her best work, as it’s these issues that inspire her to produce her best work. She want’s to represent “vulnerability as a strength“ - and her art excellently illustrates the difference between weakness and vulnerability.
”The choice for a subject is not really calculated but more based on feeling, emotions and intuition.”
In her collection World of Beast, she adds on cheerful, fun and sometimes symbolic elements in a way that makes the animals bigger, more visible.
They come out of the frame each time you pass by to interact with you. They make you stop and think or laugh or wink or cry or hope. Each time you look at them they’ve got a new message for you.
“I try to be the voice of the animals in their place.”
”I mix elements from different worlds and countries and turn them into one. If you look at them you think it is kind of one world but if you look closely you can see elements come from different places. I feel the world is one, we are all one and we should act, think and work accordingly.”
While she doesn’t really focus on other artists, Dutch artist George Heidweiller was an early inspiration. After the blue touch paper was lit, she immediately felt that she had to take her own creativity to the next level.
“Follow your own path, let your own creativity develop and dare to dream big. In the end the only real power you have is the challenge to dream big, out of the box and to pull these dreams into your reality.”
Want to see more or get in contact with Irene, visit her socials and website here:
Website: www.irenehoff.com/
Instagram: @art_irenehoff
Facebook: Art Irene Hoff