Marja de Jong, STUDIO 23

MARJA DE JONG The Dutch artist Marja de Jong (1947) moved in 2003 from Rotterdam – the Netherlands to Haukivuori in rural Finland. Since the end of 2012 she lives and works in the old historic railway station of Hiirola in Etelä-Savo. The railway station of Hiirola houses her atelier, a small gallery STUDIO 23, a huge art- and art history library and has a yard for cultural purposes. The authentic old building (1889) is a breeding place for artistic, cultural and art educational experiences and development. The fields of art she represents are painting, drawing and mono-printing. After her study at the art academy of Tilburg NL (1972-1975) she developed an own artistic signature which is based on using many colorful layers to build the atmosphere and shape of the work. Based on experiences of printing the paintings consist of changeable shapes to improve diversity in the imagination. Most of the art production is setup in series of several paintings with the same components arranged in different ways by color, structure and atmosphere to explore the subject from different angles. The railway station is a cultural and artistic center in a rural environment, co-operation with the local society is part of the developing of a rural art community as an example of a sustainable rural society. The history, nature, art, culture, agriculture and forestry are sources for innovative development. The art and cultural projects are important means to revitalize the rural area as a source for the entire society and for the participation of the youth in the sustainable development of their own future. Hiirola railway station, artist Marja de Jong and art association AREFS taide ja kulttuuri ry are developing a challenging cultural environment for the small rural village Hiirola. I live in Finland since 2003 and I am extremely involved with the marks of civilization in the rural environment of the place where I live now. I aware that my roots are from a different place, the urban area of Rotterdam, and in a way I am an outsider, but not excluded in this rural community. Moving to an unknown place, unknown population and an unknown language has given me an intensive connection with this specific place – first Saksalanharju in Haukivuori and now the old railway station in Hiirola. It has influenced my vision on reality, my relation with culture and history, and the reflection on my own artist work. My artistic vision is inextricably bound up with my life in rural Finland. The view, the omnipresent space, the light, the silence and the subtle connection with the past are for me components of a great experience. The perspective in both directions from my roots to the present vice versa is a source of ongoing discoveries in my artistic work. As I like to work in series to explore the wide range of unexpected challenges, I create an unlimited number of art pieces, until it suddenly ends. In series like ‘Finnish Landscape’, ‘Saksala on the Rock’, and Hiirola, homage to Knut Nylander I analyze the components of the visual information and rearrange these elements to new compositions in form and color. This work will continue in unknown directions and results, and is the reflection of my exploration and to bring these paintings together in a publication.