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ABOUT
Willemijn Steenbakkers (pseudonym WEST, 1976, Amsterdam) is a visual artist. Her paintings, characterized by layers of paint in which texture plays a central role, open windows onto alternative realities and navigate the tension between recognition and transformation, the earthly and the elusive. The result are powerful compositions that engage the senses and invite contemplation.
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As an extension of the painting process, she writes a poem for some works — an inner echo expressed in language. These poetic reflections are not explanations, but deepening: they resonate with the image and open new pathways to meaning.
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In her practice, WEST moves between painting and language, yet the visual image remains the starting point. Her work invites stillness and the exploration of a world that is both grounded and suggestive of other dimensions — familiar, yet intangible.
Willemijn Steenbakkers (pseudonym WEST, 1976, Amsterdam) is a visual artist. WEST comes from a family of artists, where visual art was a natural and integral part of everyday life. Her paintings, characterized by layers of paint in which texture plays a central role, open windows onto alternative realities and navigate the tension between recognition and transformation, the earthly and the elusive. The result are powerful compositions that engage the senses and invite contemplation.
​
As an extension of the painting process, she writes a poem for some works — an inner echo expressed in language. These poetic reflections are not explanations, but deepening: they resonate with the image and open new pathways to meaning.
​
In her practice, WEST moves between painting and language, yet the visual image remains the starting point. Her work invites stillness and the exploration of a world that is both grounded and suggestive of other dimensions — familiar, yet intangible.