Shahaila Winklaar

For ten years, I worked as a lawyer in the Dutch House of Representatives, where I learned to appreciate analytical thinking and precision. During the evenings, I attended the visual arts and design teacher training program at the Willem de Kooning Academy. Today, I have traded my law books for a drawing pencil and work full-time as an artist and art educator.

In my visual work, just like a lawyer, I seek the bigger picture, the essence, and the core. I create art objects and have developed both a jewelry and a textile line inspired by old masterpieces. Discover my work at www.winklaarworks.com.

Wall Sculptures I create contemporary interpretations of centuries-old masterpieces. For me, these old masterpieces are like old friends: each reunion warms my heart. Here, too, I try to capture the essence and the core, resulting in unique wall sculptures that bridge the past and the present.

Body Posture As a political scientist, I have always been fascinated by body postures and power. What remains when influential figures are stripped of all outward trappings? I explore this question visually. With a few powerful lines of India ink, I depict a pose on kraft paper, a sturdy type of packaging paper. In recent years, I have expanded this series with powerful women and have explored the essence of female leadership.

In my series "Emo-man," I capture men immersed in intense emotions. Where my portraits of powerful politicians are confident and robust, the drawings of "Emo-man" are reserved and fragile. Using sensitive but sometimes jet-black line thicknesses and introverted body postures on bright white drawing paper, I seek the vulnerability of men in their moments of loneliness, thoughts, or sorrow.

Identity Art

Although born and raised in the Netherlands, I feel deeply connected to Caribbean culture: the music, the Papiamento language, the matriarchy, the magical realism in the arts, the intense light and colors on the islands, the pre-Columbian cave drawings, and much more. I visually express these influences in the series "Dushi Aruba," my jewelry line "Caquetio Necklaces," and my painting series Caquetio. All of these are inspired by the cave drawings of the original inhabitants of Aruba and Curaçao.

Let yourself be surprised and inspired by the versatility of my work, and discover the stories that each artwork has to tell. Visit www.winklaarworks.com to see and purchase my full collection.