ABOUT - ARTIST
Katrien Cleuren is a Belgian visual artist and healthcare professional whose work explores the complexities of contemporary life, with a particular focus on the experience and perception of women in today’s society.
Alongside her artistic practice, she has built a professional career in healthcare. Living between creativity, family life, professional responsibility and societal expectations, she is fascinated by the constant tension between achievement and reflection, movement and stillness, control and surrender.
Her background in dentistry and healthcare has also shaped her artistic perspective. The discipline, technical precision and attention to detail that characterize her professional work continue to influence her creative process. At the same time, she has always been fascinated by the beauty of natural materials and by the hidden structures that shape our world.
This curiosity extends to the remarkable chemistry of crystallization. The way crystals emerge, grow and organize themselves fascinates her not only as a natural phenomenon, but also as a metaphor for transformation, patience and the passage of time. While some aspects of the process can be guided, the final outcome remains partly beyond human control.
Through sculpture and mixed media, she investigates themes such as time, pressure, identity, vulnerability and resilience. Many of her works reflect the invisible demands that modern life places upon us and the challenge of finding balance within an increasingly accelerated world.
Materials play an essential role in this exploration. Stone, wood, clay, metals, minerals and crystal growth each bring their own character, rhythm and transformative qualities. Rather than merely serving as materials, they become active participants in the creative process.
Katrien currently continues her artistic development through formal training at the Hasselt Academy of Fine Arts, where she further explores sculpture, materiality and contemporary artistic expression.
Her work invites viewers to pause, reflect and reconnect with the slower rhythms that often disappear beneath the demands of modern life.
