Mieke Lagendyk
Mieke
Lagendyk, born in a mining town called Welkom in the Free State, is currently studying
BA Fine Arts final year at the University of Pretoria. Art to Mieke as a
chronically diseased individual diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and Stage 3b
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), is a platform to communicate her voice by
embodying her experiences. After receiving numerous international awards in the
field of science and art, Mieke chose to study art to imbue resilience through
art, in the world.
Mieke
explores her lived experience and embody her processing and perception of her
differently-abled body through her artmaking. Art creation as catharsis made it
possible to materialize the underlying trauma of her disease through her work.
Each work is a microcosm of experiences, thoughts and feelings that reflects
Mieke’s battle with disease and her consequential traumatized body.
Embodying
an abstract form does not only depict the physical trauma but communicates the
processing of emotional and psychological acceptance of the invisible diseased
body. Mieke has been honing her skills in resin sculpting and fine art
photography in her artistic practice. She utilises different sources of light
to disclose the mystery and morbidity of disease.
