Tineke Van der Eecken | Tributaries
From Saturday 16 November 2024
To Sunday 16 February 2025
Tributaries explores the fibres of flora, fauna, and human systems. It includes jewellery, small fine metal sculptures, and objects formed by corrosion casting, a process by which resin is injected into animal organs and other biological systems to form moulds of internal spaces.
These objects are placed in dialogue with photographic images and poetry that document the thrum of life and death in environmental arterial systems, connecting root, river, skeleton, and vein.
Tributaries is both a contemporary memento mori and a reminder of the constantly changing states of all organic matter, including our own bodies – a testament to the interconnection of human, animal and environment.
Tineke Van der Eecken
Tineke Van der Eecken is a Belgian-born, Australian artist whose practice explores narratives of place. From her geographical and biological roots in Flanders, Belgium to her home in Western Australia on the rim of the vast Indian Ocean, the scope of her narrative takes in oceans, wetlands and ancient reefs, then delves deeply inward to the internal places of physical bodies. Her concepts are articulated through exceptionally crafted jewellery and sculptures, and objects that sit between these categories, as well as photography.
Tineke, who holds a Masters Degree in Criminological Sciences, was introduced to corrosion casting as an Artist in Residence at SymbioticA at the University of Western Australia in 2012 and in 2022 was awarded a Minderoo Foundation Artist Fund grant to apply the technique at the Minderoo Exmouth Research Laboratory. She has exhibited widely and is also a published author and the President of the Jewellers and Metalsmiths Group of Western Australia.
In 2023 Van der Eecken was a finalist in the the York Botanic Art Prize and the Mid West Art Prize and previously in the Melville Sculpture Award and Australian Memento Awards. She won awards at REGENERATE 2022 and VISION 2020, exhibitions presented by the Jewellers and Metalsmiths Group of Australia. She has also facilitated jewellery making workshops in Australia, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.
Tributaries was originally presented at Mundaring Art Centre as part of the 2021 Indian Ocean Craft Triennial (IOTA). It is part of a trilogy of exhibitions by Van der Eecken about the WA environment. Other exhibitions in the trilogy include Arborea (2023) a visual narrative about deforestation, and Concurrencies which focuses on our marine environment, showing as part of the 2024 Indian Ocean Craft Triennial at Alister Yiap Gallery in Perth from August 8 – 28, 2024.
Further information: https://www.tinekevandereecken.com/
An ART ON THE MOVE touring exhibition
ART ON THE MOVE is Western Australia’s only organisation dedicated to touring contemporary visual art exhibitions throughout the regions, interstate and beyond. Our work explores the connections between art and place, bringing together and inspiring diverse communities. Learn more: https://artonthemove.art/
This project has been made possible through the Regional Exhibition Touring Boost is managed by the Department of Local Government Sport and Cultural Industries, supported by Royalties for Regions and delivered by ART ON THE MOVE.
Image: Dr Christopher Casteleyn and Dr Sofie Muylle; and Tineke Van der Eecken, Regeneration, 2021. Photography by Duncan Wright.