Ann Hermans

Skulptur/ Visual artist , Vienna

A special lady, that’s a way of describing Ann Hermans, a visual artist from Maasbree. After training in textile art and ceramics, she put in an impressive track as a self-made fashion designer for twenty-five years. No common fashion but special haute couture, made with lots of dedication, patience and love. Ann always intuitively first searched for fabrics and materials that inspired her. Once she found these, she dedicated herself in her pursuit for technical perfection. When she wanted to create some kind of head cover, she first took a traineeship by Philip Sommerville, well-known as a court supplier of hats. As an original artist, she always chose for a thematic approach for her line of fashion. So it happened that in her research for the theme “buttons”, she met the artist Skinkichi Tajiri, an American-born Japanese sculptor who came to the Netherlands because of the Cobra-art movement. This was probably a turning point in her life. He supplied the fabrics for her last fashion show in 2001. A harmony of fashion and art. For years Ann had searched for common themes and almost naturally she ended up in the world of visual art. Starting from a classical education she restarted her search via several art academies. Always looking for new experiences taught to her by different teachers. The result: beautiful bronze statues PAINTING WITH FORM. And if we can speak of a red thread in her work, that would be her continuous passion. Emotions, injustice, human suffering, a war in Iraq, Guantánamo prison or a mother losing her child. It;s the social commitment that affects her work. The human being is constantly present in her work. The human being and all its feelings: exuberant or modest, graceful or humble, in shame or pride. But most of all it’s conspicuous how Ann always varies and reshapes. Nothing is wasted. Forgotten statues get a new life by some alteration. In these figures out of clay or bronze even emerge forms of her fashion. I want to make a simple and clear statement in which content and form are experienced as pure and honest. Ann Hermans, the visual artist, produces bronze statues, paintings, and sculpture