Micke Buitendag

Born in 1995, Micke Buitendag is an artist hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, who self-taught the art of creation. Despite graduating with a business degree, she swiftly turned to art as a means of therapy and self-reflection.

Micke's painting style is contemporary and abstract. Her artistic voice flows with expressive energy, employing mixed media techniques embellished with coffee granules and textures. Her canvases feature rich, dark brushstrokes and shades that portray the faces and deep expressions of people from diverse walks of life. Micke draws inspiration from various artists and explores themes of femininity and identity in her works.

For Buitendag, a painting represents an artist's personal feelings, thoughts, therapeutic imagination, and a physical manifestation of the mind.

Micke Buitendag explores the intricate and multifaceted nature of identity and the role that social conditioning, self, trauma, and intellectual pursuits play in shaping it. During this creative process, uncertainty and frustration became constant companions, leading to questions about the factors that have contributed to shaping his current self and influencing his perceptions of life, including his artistic creative process. Through this journey, the concept of IDENTITY was born and expressed.

Her artworks consist of a multi-layered composition, each layer showcasing a distinct medium of abstract acrylic paint, digital brush strokes and monochromatic hidden portraits which are then printed on high gloss acrylic panels. Each artwork is an original one a kind piece and is sold as such. The meaning behind her artwork process reflects the diversity of human connection & identity.

She uses a range of mixed media including acrylics, coffee powder, sand, and torn paper to create a layered and textured visual narrative. These elements invite the viewer to delve deeper into the theme Micke is exploring.

Drawing on personal experiences, Micke aims to create a space where viewers can reflect on their own sense of self and how external factors have influenced and shaped it. Each medium symbolizes a factor that forms the faces you see in the artwork. Through the use of contrasting colors and textures, the tension between internal and external forces that shape our sense of identity is conveyed.

At the core of Micke's work is a belief in the power of art to provide a space for introspection and to persevere through "growth pains." By exploring the complex and often contradictory nature of identity, he hopes to encourage viewers to question their assumptions and beliefs, embracing the complexity and fluidity of the human experience.

Micke Buitendag is represented by The Artists Gallery in Cape Town.