Sieglinde Van Damme

visual artist | creative thinker | author | mentor

Sieglinde Van Damme is a multi-disciplinary artist based in California, although she used to be an economist with European roots. As an award-winning artist, she participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions spanning the US, Europe, Russia, India and Japan. She's been working and exhibiting as a professional artist for over 20 years.

Artist Statement

Through abstract paintings and combined photo-productions, my work reflects on the deep layers of our individual past histories and the complex dynamics behind big life choices.

My mantra is to always "re-imagine what else is possible;” which translates into my art as a constant process of defining and redefining visual realities. As a result my work often tumbles from one medium into another before finding a place of rest.

This concept is deeply rooted in my immigration experience from Europe to the US in 1998. I quickly realized I couldn’t just transplant my old identity into the new environment. Instead, I had to find a way to adapt to a new society while staying true to who I authentically was, at my core:

“I had to re-imagine not who I was, but who I ‘could be’ on this side of the ocean.”

The personal life dynamics spilled over into my artwork with two main questions swirling back and forth between both: what else can this be - who else can this/I/you be? Along the way I learned to embrace the identity of a person, a subject matter, a place, a circumstance, a thing, as ever fluid and evolving in time and space. 

With raw honesty, creativity, and a quest for authenticity as my secret sauce, I became known as the "Queen of Reinvention," in both life and art.

"My work is an invitation to open your mind and imagine new & meaningful realities for you. Because, when looking back, regrets are always a burden, never a medal."