Sytske Frederika van Koeveringe

Residency period May – June 2023

Interview by Berend Sommer

Sytske Frederika van Koeveringe is a visual artist and writer. She stayed as artist and writer in residence at the Van Doesburghuis from 7 May to 24 June. During her stay, she painted three canvases, wrote a letter to Nelly and worked on her novel that will be published this autumn. The interview takes place after returning to the Netherlands.

Wasn’t it a bit short, a stay of seven weeks?
It actually felt quite long, because I was completely shielded from distractions I normally have. I was completely detached from my daily rhythm in Amsterdam. From Meudon to the centre of Paris is almost a 45-minute journey, so you’re pretty much on your own. That took quite some getting used to. Fortunately, I did have visitors, which I had spread out well over the whole period.

I also really kept on working: I came there with the idea of writing, but that soon changed. Apparently, that happens more often here. Initially, I intended to talk to several women working in different disciplines, a bit like Theo van Doesburg and like myself. I planned to write out those talks, but when I arrived here, I already knew: things will probably turn out differently. I started painting pretty soon.

What kind of work have you created?
I have painted three large canvases, of dancing women blending into their surroundings. They are inspired by Nelly van Doesburg. Out of admiration for her, I also wrote to Nelly. She was a pianist, painter and she danced, but stopped doing so when Theo van Doesburg died. A shame really, because after that she was only concerned with his legacy.

How did you like living in the Van Doesburg house?
I was very impressed by the house, because it is so big and grey. Especially the first three days were difficult, but then I picked up speed: I could lose myself in my art very well thanks to the house. I had always admired Theo van Doesburg: because of his style and because of the huge number of disciplines he mastered. He didn’t care about the opinions of others.

I heard from friends who were visiting that they enjoyed seeing me at work. Often they would go out and I would stay at home to continue working. They said that while painting, I looked like it needed to flow out. I feel the same way: for me it is a necessity to express myself. The discipline just changes: sometimes it feels better to write and other times painting turns out to be convenient.

How do you look back on your stay?
I’m still a bit hazy because I’m really wrecked. It doesn’t really feel like I’m back yet. Physically, I am very tired because of painting; because those canvases have grown big. And mentally, the writing has drained me, but I am happy with what I have created. The Van Doesburg house has also been very helpful in taking myself seriously as an artist and as a writer.

Sytske’s residency was made possible by the Dutch Foundation for Literature.