Farewell to storytelling in my art, but with far-reaching consequences.

When you deepen into the essence of an image, you say goodbye to storytelling, but on the other side, it gives more freedom on the level of creating art, which is what I experienced. I thought it was important to tell the stories, which are the source of the inspiration for my art and also post them on LinkedIn and other social media because this is a time that peace, freedom and democracy are at the centre of attention and I wanted to contribute to this.

The sources of my storytelling stay playing a role in my personal life. Three years ago I joined a foundation that was set up after the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in the Zaanregio, I live. Two people joined forces, one was representing an Islamitic community the other a Christian community and said: "This must not happen again" and they founded a foundation to connect people in an intercultural and interreligious way. It is a wonderful initiative in which people of different cultures and religions come together for intercultural meals. We talk about the backgrounds and content of each other's religions and cultures and found out that we have a lot in common. In personal communication, we are very open and respectful to each other. This not only connects us but also gives way to more initiatives. When I read about war, of which people fly I saw how complex the causes are, Also climate change seemed to play a role, all changes are connected I saw. So it is necessary to build bridges so that people feel connected. Together we can solve the important issues. I would like that many people to follow this wonderful initiative on a voluntary basis, not only in the Zaan region and in the Netherlands but also in Europe and all over the world. Waiting to see who takes the first step slows down communication and the feeling to be connected. I end with a beautiful statement from Thucydides: "Freedom is the secret of happiness and the secret of freedom is courage". I think this is a good encouragement for communication.

Margriet van Engelen