The work of Rini Hurkmans creates spaces that are intended as sanctuaries for human intuition, memories, fantasies, desires and feelings of wonder, places where the opposition between the internal and external world has been bridged. The ‘unspeakable’, that which is not spoken of, which is unmentionable – emptiness and absence are aspects of it – acquires a form which functions on an emotional as well as on a spiritual level. In the work the conceptual aspects take a central place, symbolized in various ways. Over time the visual means have become more direct. An interesting aspect is that Hurkmans combines elements taken from different cultures to express universal feelings: the life and survival of the human, his vulnerability, the loss of individuality, the drama but also the power, beauty and euphoria.
Hurkmans’ work has been exhibited in several galleries in the Netherlands and abroad as well as at the Stedelijk Museum, P.S.1 Museum, Huis Marseille and has been exhibited at Sonsbeek (Arnhem) and in the front of the Louvre Museum. Her work is included in many significant Dutch and international public and private collections. She has realized important public commissions in The Netherlands and abroad, including a sculpture for the ‘Parque de la Memoria’ in Buenos Aires (presently under construction). Hurkmans is tutor at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. In addition she has often been visiting lecturer and artist in residence in The Netherlands and the USA. She has also travelled extensively in Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia.
www.rinihurkmans.com