The Daily Muse: Handiedan, Collage Artist

HANDIEDAN
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

The art of Dutch artist Handiedan (1981, Netherlands) involves a complex cut and paste mixture of computer montage and highly detailed sculptural hand cut collages, complimented by conscientiously collected antique ornamental frames.

Build out of multiple classic pin-up body parts, the female form stands out over a backdrop of baroque and Victorian Neo-Classicism designs. All culled from international currencies and stamps, antique sheet music ornaments, playing cards, cigar bands, Asian papers with personal items and drawings. Intricate and meticulously crafted, the collages represent the gradual accumulation of both the layers in her work and her work process self.

Handiedan first builds up her digital design out of the gathered collage material and drawings. Then she rebuilds the design into a meticulously crafted multi layered hand cut collage with precisely added items. A complex visual puzzle and labyrinth of collage and paper layers, interchangeably intermixed, that stands out in relief.

Handiedan works in series. This suffices as an eclectic personal exploration or review of her main design’s journey and process. With each piece on either paper, antique wood or rusty metal, or a different size, containing different collage elements and details result in a different story, emotion and time dimension within each piece. When having a closer look at a piece, the main esthetic and erotic female form works as the carrier of the stories that lies underneath and on the surface. Through the paper and collage layers fused with the ornamental background, tiny items and rarities interact with her drawn cartoonesque character and pen doodles riddled throughout her collage work.

Collage art enables Handiedan to combine all her visual fascinations on a single backdrop, where she can portray and explore her personal interest in the era’s of life and time. Past, present and future elements and cultural facets can be found woven in her work. Her personal journey’s of that what is, what was and that which can’t yet be explained are found within her meticulously portrayed artworks. Some visible, some more enchantingly hidden in plain sight. More and more Handiedan tries to capture these complexities of life and interests in her work. An artistic journey of scientific philosophical themes, with an almost kaleidoscopical exploration through her collage.

With a background in photographic design (graduated), illustration and graphic design (self taught), Handiedan started working as a collage artist in 2007.

Her artwork has been shown throughout the world including her last year’s sold-out solo show at Thinkspace Gallery, Spoke Art/Hashimoto Contemporary, Roq la Rue, Phone Booth Gallery, Black Book Gallery in the US, Unit 44 in the UK, and Mondo Bizzarro Gallery in Rome and Musée La Halle St. Pierre in Paris.

Her art has been featured in several books, magazines and blogs includingVictionary, Die Gestalten Verlag, HEY!, BISPublishers, Delayed Gratification, IdN Magazine, NowThen, Monday Inspiration, DPI, Fefe,HiFructose and Juxtapoz.