Who is JARI?

‘JARI’ (pseudonym) is a Dutch artist based in Germany. She has been in the arts for over 40 years starting at the Academy of Arts and Industry in Enschede. Her work is exhibited for solo exhibitions and in collaboration with other artists in Germany and the Netherlands.

JARI aims to deliver critical and conscious art that invites her audience to engage with contemporary and societal issues. She appreciates classical masters such as Van Gogh, Karel Appel and Picasso, and their techniques - something that is visible in her careful selection of materials and the thorough study preceding every piece she creates. Contemporary artists who inspire her are Anselm Kiefer, Tracey Enim and Marc Mulders.

JARI works theme-based and allows herself to be inspired by her life experiences. From being raised on a farm surrounded by only brothers, impactful years she spent in Amsterdam during the roaring activist ‘70s and ‘80s, to now working with students, individuals with disabilities, and raising children, have helped influence her style. Critical moments of loss and grief are fundamental sources of inspiration and much of her work, although deeply personal, centres on the discovery of these feelings which have universal straints. As loss can be too painful to vocalize, her paintings translate what cannot be captured in words.