At the Iona House on the Herengracht, you encounter the work of five artists who each weave a movement for change in their own way.
Meet the monumental artwork Guernica de la Ecologia. This work, created by artist Claudy Jongstra, represents a call for more biodiversity, an advocacy for dignified craftsmanship (craft), and regeneration of healthy agriculture in an inclusive work environment. The canvas travels to different places to engage in conversation and enhance awareness. During Amsterdam Art, it is displayed on the Herengracht at the Iona Foundation. (https://www.guernicadelaecologia.nl/)
Saskia Noor van Imhoff explores systems, hierarchical structures, and ideas about collecting. Recently, she has expanded her focus to the land and acquired a piece of land on the north coast of the Netherlands. She defines this place as an ‘organic collection’ that she has since been investigating in her work, while restoring, responding to, and working with the historical land on which she lives today.
Gijs Frieling (b. 1966, Amsterdam) creates large-scale temporary murals and paintings.
The sculptures of artist Molly Palmer welcome and illuminate everyone who enters the communal hall of the Iona House. The artwork engages in a dialogue with the historical building, the identity, and principles of the Foundation.
Women’s lives and nature were important themes in the work of artist Ernée ‘t Hooft. She became known primarily for her tapestries, depicting figures and narrative scenes using various embroidery techniques with limited use of applications. Together with her husband, architect Jan van der Linden (1907-1993), they decided to establish the Iona Foundation in 1966, which would be entirely dedicated to the development of a free cultural life.
Claudy Jongstra (1963)
Jongstra is a visual artist, shepherd, farmer, and activist. Her sculptural works travel the world and have their own signature. By returning to the origin of wool, weaving, and color, the artist prompts her audience to contemplate the interaction between humans and nature. Her works are included in the collections of institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. In 2019, she was inaugurated as a member of the Akademie van Kunsten, part of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Molly Palmer (1984)
Palmer moved to Amsterdam in 2019 to attend the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunst. She is represented by Akinci Gallery and now lives and works in the Netherlands. She graduated from the Royal Academy Schools in 2016, where she received the Gold Medal. She has exhibited widely in galleries and museums, including Nest, The Hague (2023); Buitenplaats Doornburgh, Maarssen (2023); Art Rotterdam with Akinci (2023); Made Von Krimpen Amsterdam for 1646 EDITIONS (2023); Dastan Basement, Tehran (2021); 1646, The Hague (2019).
Ernée ‘t Hooft (1911-2004)
From 1931 to 1936, she studied at the Rijksakademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam under Prof Jurres and Prof. Roland Holst. In 1936, she was awarded the silver medal Prix de Rome. Her work is represented in various collections, including the Textielmuseum, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam (1944 ‘Verloren Zomers’), and Kroller Muller Museum (1948 ‘Molenbeek’).
Saskia Noor van Imhoff (b. 1982)
She lives and works in Amsterdam and Mirns (NL). Van Imhoff has received various art awards, including the ABN Amro Kunstprijs 2017 (NL), and was nominated for the Prix de Rome in 2017. She has had exhibitions at various locations, including: Fries Museum, Leeuwarden (NL); Centraal Museum, Utrecht (NL); AkzoNobel Kunststichting, Amsterdam (NL); Arnulf Rainer Museum, Baden (AT); Kunsthal, Rotterdam (NL); Frans Halsmuseum De Hallen, Haarlem (NL); the 11th Gwangju Biennale (KR); Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris (FR); Frans Hals Museum, De Hallen, Haarlem (NL); Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (NL); De Appel, Amsterdam (NL); and the Moscow Biennale (RU).
Gijs Frieling (1966)
He studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. In 1999, he won the Prix de Rome for painting. Frieling has exhibited nationally and internationally and has taught at institutions including the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and the Minerva Academie in Groningen.
