“Everything is better when I’m with me” conveys a personal narrative, one that takes us inwards, in which Sonneveld explores the vulnerabilities and insecurities of herself and her artist-hood.  The year of self isolation made her studio her center and pushed Sonneveld to explore her own limits and focus solely on her autonomous practice. In the paintings we see genderless and faceless figures taking on introverted and intimate postures. They are alone but not lonely. “The paintings touch upon a sense of desire, gut feeling and fantasies that one carries within, but is not always in touch with. To me they represent a journey of self acceptance, in my autonomous practice, in my ability to dive into painting even with the self doubt. Once you find that inner connection through intimacy, in the broadest sense of the word – everything gets better.” (Sonneveld)

In the postures we recognize a touch of the toe while leaning backwards, wrapping one’s body with arms and legs, sitting cross-legged and face down, fiddling with hands; all of them carry with them an emotion, a time and place. Figures in glass, zooming in and taking out, playing with organic shapes, brought to life by Sonneveld’s vivid use of colour.  “The figures might be introvert but the colors counter with lots of expression and presence. The colors allow me to be totally free while painting, to work in the moment and think of nothing, as nothing else exist.” (Sonneveld) This enjoyment; the loss of time, insecurity, self doubt or better said: the inevitable presence of those feelings but the enjoyment despite them might be exactly what  “Everything is better when I’m with me” wants to share with us.

Everything is better when I’m with me” will be on show from June 19th till 22nd of August 2021. For more information, please contact info@nomansart.com. This exhibition is kindly made possible by AFK

(Foto’s Neeltje de Vries)