Oil on canvas, framed

200 x 200 cm

About the artwork:

Iwona believes every place we have lived leaves something within us. Our experiences, memories, and surroundings quietly shape the way we see ourselves and the world. Inspired by the colours and geological formations of Western Australia's red earth, she combines the female figure with abstract structures drawn from the land. These forms are not a representation of a particular place, but a visual language for the experiences, memories, and patterns that shape our identity.

The layered structures reflect both the landscape and the invisible architecture we carry within us. They suggest memory, belonging, resilience, and change, reminding us that every person carries a history that cannot always be seen. 

Through her work, she hopes to encourage people to pause, look beyond the surface, and discover a deeper understanding of themselves and of one another.

About the artist:

Iwona Van Niekerk is a Polish-Australian artist based in Perth, Western Australia. Born in Słupsk, Poland, she has also lived in Copenhagen and London, experiences that continue to inform her perspective and artistic practice.

Working primarily in oil, Van Niekerk combines abstraction and figuration to explore memory, identity, and the experiences that shape us. Inspired by the colours and geological formations of Western Australia's red earth, she uses geometric structures and the female figure to create paintings that reflect belonging, memory, and the invisible histories we carry within us.

Using geometric forms, symbolism, and layered imagery, she investigates the relationship between inner experience and the external world. Influenced by Cubism, Surrealism, and Abstract Expressionism, her paintings balance structure with intuition, creating compositions that reflect themes of belonging, transformation, resilience, and human connection.