Overview

 

'A desire to be elsewhere is the central theme of my work. I approach the experience of Unfulfilled Desire as a condition in which Heimweh (longing for the known) and Fernweh (longing for the unknown) intertwine. The urge to leave behind inevitably implies loss and farewell. I want to make the metaphorical boundary perceptible that isolates the here and now from other realities - past, future or imaginary.

 

In the series called Saudade I represent this boundary as a physical one. A view is shown from behind the rain-covered or sun-lit windscreen of a car. Thick drops dance over the screen or are smashed against the side, swept away by the wipers. The film of water and the reflection of the sun on the otherwise invisible glass partly deform the view. This perturbing layer is always present, in between here and elsewhere. The screen uncovers the world that is longed for and excludes it at the same time.'

- Esther Nienhuis

 

Dutch-born Esther Nienhuis studied Fine Arts at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague and has exhibited in Europe, the United States, Canada, Asia and Australia. She was awarded with the Dutch art prize Gasunie Kunstprijs in 2011 and in 2012 two of her works were selected for the ZomerExpo at the Gemeentenmuseum in The Hague, the Dutch equivalent to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

 

 

Works
  • A wet, city road leading to silhouettes of buildings with a pink and light blue sky backdrop, seen through a glass screen with water droplets scattered across it. By artist Esther Nienhuis.
    Saudade (Pink Sunset), 2024
  • A road leading to a grey-sky horizon with snowy banks on either side of it, seen through a glass screen with water droplets scattered across it. By artist Esther Nienhuis. oil on linen, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery, London, contemporary artist
    Saudade (Snow), 2024
  • A road leading to a blue sky horizon with a grassy bank on its right and a river on its left, seen through a glass screen with water droplets scattered across it. By artist Esther Nienhuis. oil on linen 2024, Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery London, Contemporary art
    Saudade (River), 2024
  • Dutch artist Ester Nienhuis, hyperreal oil painting on linen, nostalgic blue cityscape with yellow lights through rain spotted window
    City Lights II, 2023
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade City Lights, 2023
    Saudade City Lights, 2023
  • Esther Nienhuis, Studio Shot
    Studio Shot
  • Esther Nienhuis, Studio Shot
    Studio Shot
  • Esther Nienhuis, Studio Shot
    Studio Shot
  • Dutch artist Esther Nienhuis, hyperreal oil painting on canvas, rainy landscape
    Saudade 50, 2015
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade 63, 2018
    Saudade 63, 2018
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade (Water II), 2017
    Saudade (Water II), 2017
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade 47, 2015
    Saudade 47, 2015
  • Esther Nienhuis, Studio Shot
    Studio Shot
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade VII, 2022
    Saudade VII, 2022
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade (Hill 2), 2024
    Saudade (Hill 2), 2024
  • A road through town with buildings on either side and traffic lights above, seen through a glass screen with water droplets scattered across it. By artist Esther Nienhuis.
    Saudade (Red & Green), 2024
  • An out of focus painting of a river with bare trees on either side and a bridge intersecting it with red lights across it, seen through a glass screen with water droplets scattered across it, seen through a glass screen with water droplets scattered across it. By artist Esther Nienhuis.
    Saudade (Lights), 2024
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade (Pink), 2024
    Saudade (Pink), 2024
  • Esther Nienhuis, Saudade Green Land II, 2024
    Saudade Green Land II, 2024
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