Monica Croese (1959) studied at Artez Arnhem. She followed the Free Work direction. At the academy she often found it too busy, too many distractions. That is why Monica worked a lot at home for the free work. Something that was actually not allowed, but was allowed (with a blind eye) by the teachers. Because she did deliver good work that held promise. After two years she left the academy and followed her own path. And she has continued to do so to this day.
Her work has been and is exhibited in the Netherlands and abroad. There have been exhibitions in Canada, the United States, Germany and of course the Netherlands itself. Monica regularly organizes group exhibitions herself under the name Weib! <o> S!gnals For Weib! it is with only female artists and the theme is about femininity.
"The dream images in my drawings, paintings, collages and photography explore social themes based on my personal experiences. Which I then translate into collective memories. Birth, death, love, consciousness, hope and dreams. Life itself. A connection between archetypes and emotions. The human condition fascinates me. I hope that the implications of my work will be palpable. My way of communicating with other people. My vision of the world we live in. Being human fascinates me. I start with an eye, then chaos arises, ending in a new world. A new reality with complex meanings, references and symbolism. These worlds are populated by humans, but also by spirits, gods and demons. Through my expressive way of drawing and painting, the work gets many layers and an emotional meaning. I try to transform emotions such as fear, uncertainty and violence into hope, love, light. My work is not intended as decoration, it does not have to be beautiful. It grates and pinches. It can be a question or an exclamation mark. The core of our existence. With all its darkness and light, ugliness and hope. That's where the real beauty lies for me."
Under the name I dream i dreamed Monica creates digital collage art, where she can lose herself in magical, glittering dreams. "I use digital processes, but sometimes I also make analog collages. The old way, glue and scissors. In my digital work I create strange worlds with divine gods, lots of flowers, forests, clouds, the moon and stars. The human in this work is strongly connected to nature in all its forms. They dream about magic, fairy tales, old memories and surreal worlds full of shadows and wonder." Yet there is a definite connection between the collages and the drawings and paintings.
Monica is a restless soul full of dreams and hopes. She tries to create light in all her work and the designs will bring joy, happiness and trust in who we are and where we are going. The images (or dreams as Monica calls them) are emotional and she hopes that the dreams will be recognized by the viewer and bring comfort. "I have been creating for as long as I can remember and try to make the world a better place. Where we can still be amazed by all the magic of nature and man. I do not hide the dark sides of life, I show them too. Without darkness there would be no light. With my art I want to intrigue the viewer, invite him or her to look closer, to discover all the layers and stories behind the first glance. My drawings, paintings and collages are full of life and light, it can be noisy at times, but I hope to challenge the viewer to find the real treasure behind all the noise. To find the silence of the mind, the trust of the heart and the hope and magic of life itself."
So that we will never stop dreaming..........