Danielle Lemaire's 'Origin' Explores Cosmos, Earth and Ancestors at Galerie Getekend, Heerenveen
Danielle Lemaire's solo exhibition, titled Origin, is currently showcased at Galerie Getekend in Heerenveen, with a follow-up presentation scheduled for 2027 at Drawing Centre Diepenheim. The exhibition delves into three core themes: the cosmos, the earth, and ancestral connections. In her artwork, hair serves as a spiritual antenna, unveiling hidden realms. Featured drawings depict a woman kneeling by a fire bowl, a bride's visage emerging from her veil, and a figure sprawled across the sky. The earth theme is embodied in Back to Earth (2022), while the ancestral theme intertwines Indonesian history with personal symbols, incorporating colonial archival elements. Key pieces include Terugkijken (2026), Nyonya Sate (2024), Het Meisje en de Krokodil (2025), and Gadis Cermin (2026). This article was authored by Noa Zuidervaart for Mister Motley.
Key facts
- Danielle Lemaire's solo exhibition Origin is on view at Galerie Getekend in Heerenveen
- Drawing Centre Diepenheim will present a solo exhibition of Lemaire's work in 2027
- Lemaire's practice is described through three recurring themes: cosmos, earth and ancestors
- Her drawings treat hair as 'spiritual antennas' that connect to what lies beneath visible reality
- The work Back to Earth (acryl and conté on paper, 115 x 75 cm, 2022) shows the artist bending toward the ground
- Lemaire's father moved from Java to the Netherlands as a young man; after his death she researched her Indonesian roots
- She combines colonial-era archival material with personal symbols because faces and names are missing from her family archive
- Works cited include Terugkijken (2026), Nyonya Sate (2024), Het Meisje en de Krokodil (2025) and Gadis Cermin (Spiegelmeisjes) (2026)
Entities
Artists
- Danielle Lemaire
- Noa Zuidervaart
Institutions
- Galerie Getekend
- Drawing Centre Diepenheim
- Mister Motley
- Dinamo
Locations
- Heerenveen
- Netherlands
- Diepenheim
- Java
- Indonesia