"I felt more and more that I wanted to be true to my own needs and ambitions. And because I was no longer dependent on the art world, I was able to take that step"
This week Esther Didden is in Breda at the studio of Cécile Verwaaijen. In 1992 Cécile graduated from the Academy of Art and Design St.Joost in Breda and in 1993 and 1994 she studied at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht. So her formative years as an artist were in the 1990s. At both art academies she had a good time and her fledgling art practice ran smoothly right away. She made work that she thought would be appreciated by the art world. She painted because she wanted to belong. And that medium was taken seriously by the then prevailing views of the art world. She did nothing with her fascination with fabrics and textiles; she thought that would not go down well and had come to believe herself that they were inferior materials. Then she became a mother, and that proved to be a first tipping point for her artistry. Another important event was the death of her mother and sister, within a year. The events emancipated her. What she was afraid to do before, she now does.
"Gradually I noticed that I was at a disadvantage compared to my male colleagues."
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