Museum Wierdenland in Ezinge is currently showcasing a solo exhibition by graphic artist Siemen Dijkstra (born in Den Helder, 1968). Visitors can enjoy an overview of Dijkstra's work from the past thirty years.
I call myself a landscape archivist. I make color woodcuts of landscapes. This is a laborious technique, because sometimes you'll spend months working on it, and then that spot in the landscape has already changed. When I started at Minerva, it immediately became clear that I'm not a painter. I seemed to translate the world around me into lines. Because I do enjoy working with color, I ended up with color woodcuts. I make woodcuts using the reduction technique, using a sheet of birch plywood. It's essentially a drawing technique based on structure. The grain of the wood has structure, which you can play with. I carve out the drawing. Then I ink the wood with an ink roller. This ink goes everywhere except on the cut-away areas. I print this, and then I continue cutting.
I call myself a landscape archivist. I make color woodcuts of landscapes. This is a laborious technique, because sometimes you'll spend months working on it, and then that spot in the landscape has already changed. When I started at Minerva, it immediately became clear that I'm not a painter. I seemed to translate the world around me into lines. Because I do enjoy working with color, I ended up with color woodcuts. I make woodcuts using the reduction technique, using a sheet of birch plywood. It's essentially a textured drawing technique. The grain of the wood has texture, which you can play with. I carve out the design. Then I ink the wood with an ink roller. This ink goes everywhere except on the cut-away areas. I print this and then continue to carve.
“Even as a child, I was involved with the landscape: I wanted to disappear into it. That's still the common thread in my work.”
I usually start with forty prints. I try to keep one of each work. The exhibition in Ezinge features works from my archive. It's a retrospective of the past thirty years and a wonderful opportunity to see what you can do with woodcuts. Even as a child, I was drawn to the landscape: I wanted to disappear into it. That's still the common thread in my work. I try to do the same with my viewers: to make them disappear into it. Through the composition, viewers are, as it were, drawn into the woodcut and become part of the print. Hopefully, they'll start looking around more, just as I do. I can enjoy the landscape, but also worry about its future.
The exhibition Siemen Dijkstra - The Soul of the Landscape is on view at Museum Wierdenland in Ezinge until September 28, 2025.
This article previously appeared in KUNST. magazine #3 (p. 36)
✍️ Heidi van Duuren
📸 Jedidja Smalbil