Hester Oerlemans receives Wilhelminaring for sculpture: ‘Makes that I will look at my work again’

An oeuvre prize that at the same time produces something new: the Wilhelminaring for sculpture is awarded experienced artistry, but also leads to a new permanent artwork in an Apeldoorns park. This year the fourteenth ring goes to visual artist Hester Oerlemans, who has been moving between sculpture, installation, drawing and painting for decades.

The Wilhelminaring is an important awards for Dutch sculpture. Since 1998 he has been awarded biennial in Apeldoorn. The price consists of a specially designed piece of jewelry and the assignment to realize a permanent artwork in the Sprengenpark.

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Hester Oerlemans (1961) has built a broad oeuvre for the past forty years: sculptures, installations, paintings and drawings, often playful and at the same time critical of society. From a light newspaper installation in Dordrecht that winks to our consumer society and the advertising world, to photos of fluctuating girls. The jury praises its ability to transform everyday and to connect art and life in a poetic sense. Oerlemans says to NRC: “It is a recognition that also makes me look at work again.”

‘Don’t wait until you are eighty’

The price has been created to put sculptors above fifty in the spotlight. According to Marie Jeanne de Rooij, chairman of the Wilhelminaring Foundation, that group is often overlooked. “It is of great importance to give artists over fifty attention. Their oeuvre is often impressive, but they get relatively little visibility. There are countless prices for artists under 35. I always joke: you can wait for your big retrospective until you are eighty, but we want to give that recognition now.”

Every time the ring itself gets a new form. This year, the Dutch-Vietnamese jewelry artist Nhat-Vu Dang designed the ring.

Review and recognition

For Oerlemans, the price mainly means recognition. “It’s great that the jury looked at my work across the board, and that the coherence also became visible,” she says. “That makes me look at my work again. It is a retrospective moment, after about forty years of being intensively busy with art in all possible forms. Becoming an artist, being an artist and you are not alone. You are not involved. Many others are involved.”

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Anyone who regards her career sees how diverse is her practice. Her images often arise from observations of daily life: an object, a space, a utensil. By moving or transforming it, she gives it a new meaning.

Oerlemans is less concerned about the lack of attention for artists over fifty. She sees herself as part of the DIY generation. “I have always undertaken a lot myself, project rooms run, collaborated with other artists. We were used to doing things in our own way. Not making yourself dependent on others, but working together where possible.”

For several years she has been affiliated with the Rotterdam Gallery Roof-A van Lobke Broos, who ensures that her work can be seen regularly at art fairs and exhibitions. At the same time, it continues to enter into public space assignments – often in dialogue with users and passers -by.

Public and place

It is precisely in the public space that the challenge is great: “How can you add something to a place that is not intended for art at all?” Asks Oerlemans. “Are visitors interested? For me it is important to keep asking those questions. That means I keep looking critically at the environment and I try to make images that coincide with the place through strength and simplicity.”

In addition to her artistry, Oerlemans contributes to the formation of a new generation of makers. She is a tutor to Bear Artez Arnhem, where she guides twenty students for four years. “Nice to see how young artists develop. I also get energy from that.”

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