Aline Thomassen (1964)
Within the confines of a sheet of white paper, Aline Thomassen evokes the rich world of the Arab woman. Since 1994, the artist has divided her time between the Netherlands and Morocco. Her time in the country and her command of the language have opened doors that now allow her to report on life there. Thomassen depicts her experiences in colourful, intimate watercolours and drawings, with the body taking on a central role. Thomassen depicts Arab women as she has come to know them: powerful, self-aware and expressive; survivors, using the body as their instrument, free of physical taboos. The image of these women she shows us, is a rich addition to the one-sided and incomplete picture that prevails in the Western world. Not docile or exotic but strategically pursuing their own path.*
Since 2004, Thomassen has been combining her works on paper with audio fragments. She publishes video reports on her website in the form of drawings from Tangier. She also documents her life and work in The Hague. Every drawing is accompanied by an audio fragment from daily life composed by musician Lázaro Tejedor. The drawings and audio fragments can be found at www.ikreisinjouwhoofd.nl
