Birte Priebe
Amsterdam
Self-taught box art, assemblage and collage artist with a focus on nature, history and personal development. I work mainly with vintage and found items.
Message
I spent the first 20+ years of my working life in a very cerebral job - conference interpretation. But I could never shake off the feeling that I also needed to work with my hands. What I do now has come to me gradually over the past few years. It is a personal quest for meaning and hope in these dark and uncertain times.
Statement
Intuition, serendipity and experimentation are the main elements of my working process. Color plays an important role. At first glance, my works have a friendly look, but you'll discover more layers and deeper meanings the longer you contemplate them.
My pieces usually start with an object that intrigues me and gives rise to a story in my imagination. To visualize the story, I bring together a lot of possible elements to be included in the piece and start an experimental process of combining them with each other until the result feels just right.
My work is inspired by my desire to help people, especially women, live their life to the fullest. The Memory Boxes (remembrance art) that I make on commission are also an expression of this desire (see www.eljuna.com).