Spotted: Illustration Design in Trouw and Het Parool
- Fine Art
- Design
The work of Enya Heijmer, a first-year Illustration Design student, demonstrates that a challenging starting point leads to enhanced creativity. Her drawing on steel producer Tata Steel earned her recognition in newspapers such as Trouw. Likewise, Ytje Veenstra, an alumna of Illustration Design, also received press coverage for her work. Het Parool featured her vibrant digital artwork in an article discussing the exhibitions at the Biennale in Haarlem.
Trouw reports on Tata Steel's sustainability plans. Enya's drawing depicts three women who are picking up spikes while wearing oxygen tanks on their backs, with Tata Steel's blast furnaces portrayed in the background. Her artwork was showcased in the 'TATATATA' exhibition at Kunst Centrum Haarlem, which was a part of the Illustration Biennale. Enya's piece was inspired by a painting she found at a thrift shop. The assignment was devised by TRIK, an instructor of editorial illustration, for his first-year students. "It's a great example of transforming an old image into something contemporary through literal recycling," he explains. Without any knowledge of the assignment's purpose, the students were tasked with selecting an item from the thrift shop for five euros. TRIK laughs, saying, "Of course, I knew what the assignment was. They came up with the most bizarre things. Ultimately, I challenged them with the subject of Tata Steel."
A newspaper about Tata Steel
Enya's drawing and other student works are part of the Tata State of Mind project. "Climate change is a popular topic for young people, and activism is resurfacing within this generation. This is our third exhibition, and we have many more plans, including creating a newspaper featuring all the outcomes. ArtEZ will also play a significant role in this."
Every bedroom has a different story
Ytje Veenstra, an ArtEZ alumna, who is unrelated to the subject of Tata Steel but, like Enya, secured a spot in the newspaper and was featured at the Illustration Biennale in Haarlem. Ytje currently works with various national and international clients and was a former classmate of TRIK. "We are also good friends," he says. "Ytje specializes in digital and virtual reality art. She is a highly talented artist." The Parool states, "Ytje recreated her grandparents' house in a small village in Friesland, where they lived from 1945. Each bedroom she slept in during her stays holds its own story."
