Art is the ultimate expression of identity—of the artist, the patron, a culture, and an era.
It deepens communication.
It sparks meaningful conversations.
It observes and innovates.
It brings into the open subjects that might otherwise remain unspoken.
Art unites. It brings people together and makes differences bearable.
It lifts us out of routine.
It can estrange, disturb, unsettle, and confuse—especially in a world where the urge for power, order, and control threatens to dominate.
Art makes us think, feel, perceive, and experience. It forges connections between minds and awakens new associations.
It makes us remember what was forgotten, and forget what doesn’t matter. Few things are as fulfilling as creating something that seems to touch the light of the realm of ideas.
Art is play.
Art heals us. It creates space for emotions that daily life often denies: grief, sorrow, pain, trauma, pleasure, desire, love, anger, and rage.
For the maker, it is a way of giving form to these emotions.
For the viewer, it offers recognition and affirmation.
Art feeds our imagination.
It makes the world a better place, life richer and more beautiful.
It inspires activism, urging us to rise up for a better future.
And then there is beauty itself…
There is no sweeter refuge than to lose yourself in exquisite sounds, subtle shades of color, or movements that flow together in ways that enchant the senses. Art licks our wounds. It softens the hardness of life and, at times, gives us moments of dazzling joy. Art makes life bearable.
To close, a quote from Barack Obama:
“The arts help us to appreciate beauty, to understand pain, to inspire us to action, and to give us hope when we feel hopeless; to bring us together when nothing else will, to lift us out of our daily lives—even if only for a moment—and to return us to them with hearts that are fuller and spirits that are stronger.”
—Iris van Valkenhoef
Iris van Valkenhoef 