Sculpting for the blind and visually impaired: ‘We are not visually impaired, but tactilely gifted’

The sculptors are assisted by Klaas Kuipers of Atelier de Steengroeve in Assen. “Sometimes Klaas puts a scratch in the image so that I can feel the line,” says Hopman. “That’s a marker I can move on from.” Feeling and form are very important to Hopman. “Someone asked how it works if you are visually impaired. Annemarie, who works next to me, said: I am not visually impaired, I am tactilely gifted. I liked that.”

In September, Hopman will hold an exhibition in Slot Zeist with other visually impaired and blind artists. “Then the public can also feel. And possibly put on dark glasses. And then they can feel how the artist experiences the image. In a museum that is often not allowed, but with us it is.”

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