Kim Dijkstra

Kim Dijkstra is an image-maker and illustrator who works from intuition and lived experience. Their work ranges from soft whispers and asking questions to loud expressions of opinions and feelings. Much of the work Kim makes arises from frustration.

These are frustrations about daily life and identity, but also a sense of powerlessness in the face of major problems in the world frequently comes into play. Kim translates these feelings of anger and sadness into cheerful, colorful images that can offer comfort and can also be activist in nature. With this, they hope to offer recognition and to make heavy subjects manageable and open for discussion.

In their thesis, Kim researched activism through art. They reflect on how the current state of society can be improved, and on how they themselves can contribute to that, both within and outside their practice as a maker.

In their graduation work, Kim takes the audience into a colorful world of wings, claws, lowlifes, wombs, breasts, tears, resistance and love. With this, they want to invite the viewer to look their own frustrations in the eye and remember the love that lies beneath them. It is about accepting all the feelings that exist, and the realization that those feelings can be the fuel for something that can bring about positive change.