I am delighted to be part of De Brug/Die Brücke (The Bridge) project, the brainchild of Michiel Brink (HogeDRUKgebied) in Rotterdam. This is an international exhibition of art and poetry, with accompanying book. The exhibition opened at the Kunstverein in Bochum (Germany) on 30 July and ran to 3 September 2022. The exhibition then transferred to Rotterdam (The Netherlands), supported by a significant grant from the Municipality of Rotterdam, and was on show at Galerie Wind from 5 November to 4 December, 2022. Those contributing were asked to interpret the theme of "bridge/bridges".
The essential purpose of a bridge is to connect – places, people, cultures. It functions across time and space, joining two points. From those two points, lines of communication extend, in potentially limitless fashion. My 3 paintings are from my "Woman" series titled "Life-lines". They refer to the wrinkles, lines or “stretch marks” left on a woman’s stomach after pregnancy, which, like living bridges, connect women globally and through time. These “bridges” are evidence of the universal phenomenon of childbirth - an experience which brings not only pain, but also joy and hope for the future. The lines on my belly bridge the experiences shared with my mother, and connect me with all those other mothers throughout millennia and across numerous cultures.