Carla Kranendonk

'Suddenly you find yourself only staring at the technique and your gaze remains fixed on patches of embroidery or applied beads. Or a small bag, coated with hundreds of beads, can mesmerize you with its refinement. When you then try to comprehend the entire work, the ‘tricks’ with perspective suddenly become apparent. In a subtle manner, Carla Kranendonk has also interwoven her relativistic view of other facets of Caribbean and African societies into her work.'

- Arno Kramer, 2014

Carla Kranendonk creates serenely heroic images of black womanhood. Her pictures combine painting with details of collage, appliqué and even embroidery. In each canvas, the richly patterned elements of dress and setting provide a compelling context for the quietly powerful presence of the central figure, or figures. These are works with an almost iconic force. 

Born, and based, in Amsterdam, Kranendonk is married to a Surinamese man of Ashanti heritage. Her pictures are often inspired by family members, and informed by her travels in the West Africa and the Caribbean world, as well as by the long and rich heritage of a Dutch-manufactured ‘wax’ textiles created for the African markets. 

Kranendonk studied at the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten Amsterdam from 1984 - 1987. She has exhibited across the globe since the 1990s, and  her work is held in significant private collections in New York, Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Barbados, Curacao, Geneva, Israel and London. Two major works were acquired by Kit Kemp, and are on display in the Haymarket Hotel in London.