LISETTE SCHUMACHER
Iris Project Resident: September 23 - October 6, 2023
Lisette Schumacher's practice centers around modern architecture research. She begins each new series by visiting historic homes and architectural sites. While there she documents the construction, shapes, and dimensions of spaces, with a special focus on how the light changes over time. Back in the studio, Schumacher experiments with techniques, materials, and color schemes, resulting in abstract, layered, and spherical paintings that capture the atmosphere of these historic sites.
During the first part of Schmuacher’s residency at Iris Project in May 2022, she visited the historic Stahl house, located in the Hollywood Hills. During her visit she found herself mesmerized by the sight of sunlight reflecting off the water and glass of the home. She was particularly intrigued by the patterns created by the sun’s reflection of the swimming pool onto the glass facades of the home. Schumacher was so captivated by the play of light, color, and space found at the Stahl House that she decided to create a collection of work that would capture the atmosphere and essence of this historic space. The color palette for this series of paintings was further influenced by the local rocks, succulents, the 1950s interior of the home, and of course the swimming pool.
Lisette Schumacher has exhibited her work in various countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Italy, Switzerland, USA, and China. Her exhibitions include Root Gallery in Rotterdam, Art23 Contemporary Art Gallery in Guangzhou, ARTFEM biennial in Macau, Co/Lab Project at the Torrance Art Museum in Torrance, Artist First! in Amsterdam, Urban Museum Schiedam in Schiedam, Fringe Arts festival in Bath, and TENT in Rotterdam. Her work is featured in numerous private collections in Europe, Asia, and America, as well as corporate collections such as the UMCU collection and Isala collection. In addition to her artistic pursuits, she is the chairman of Foundation Mesh and has served as a committee member for the Research & Development subsidy at the Centre of Visual Arts Rotterdam for three years. She was also a guest curator for De Aanschouw and part of an advisory board for larger-scale installation and video art. Lisette holds three Bachelor's degrees from Willem de Kooning Academy in Fine Art, Fine Arts and Education, and English Literature and Education from Hogeschool Rotterdam. She has participated in various residencies such as the Destination Unknown residency and Kaus Australis residency in 2018, the WKNDX residency in 2019, and Iris Project Residency in 2022.