Nicole Donkers is an artist (www.nicoledonkers.com) and independent designer who lives and works in The Hague, The Netherlands. She grew up in Surabaya, Indonesia where her father worked as a glass factory manager and her mother as an elementary school teacher. Her childhood in the East and her adult life in the West are sources of inspiration for her autonomous design and visual arts. Her work refers to the way in which contemporary people design their (cultural) identity. Or as Judit Bozsan (curator Museum de Lakenhal, Leiden) says: “Her works emit a sense of questioning of the curious ways of the world whilst the artistic self brings attention to acquired thought structures”.
After several decades Nicole Donkers returned to Indonesia in 2014. Returning to her inner home away from home. There, during her travel and work period, she became reacquainted with the roots of her upbringing. She rediscovered the Indonesian culture, language, values and crafts, such as ceramics and batik. Nicole has love for experimentation, culture and nature. During her art studies for instance she fell under the spell of plastics and the functions it has in the daily lives of people.
In 2015 Art China invited her to take part in the 1st International Contemporary Ceramics Art Symposium at WANQI Ceramic Art Centre in Dehua, China. During her subsequent working period in the ceramics studio’s she brought her thoughts from her travels together and went on experimenting with ceramics, porcelain, glaze and plastics.
In 2016, after traveling through the US and Canada, Nicole went back to Dehua, China to give her artistic research into aesthetics, patterns and dots a sequel. From the experiment with materials including glass beads from her Canadian godmother, but also donated marbles and batik techniques new series of ceramics arose. Among them the vases series ‘Dotted by’ inspired by ancient Chinese vase shapes.
Nicole Donkers graduated in fine art at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 2010. In 2012 she completed the post-academic artists’ Institute The New Academy (The Hague). She also has a university degree in Socio-Cultural Sciences and graduated from the Hotel Management School in Maastricht.