Every week, ArtDependence spotlights extraordinary creatives whose current works invite collectors, new and seasoned alike, into vivid new dialogues.
Every week, ArtDependence spotlights extraordinary creatives whose current works invite collectors, new and seasoned alike, into vivid new dialogues. This week, we explore four compelling artists: Dominique Hoffer, Michael Testard, Mieke Jonker, and Geert Lemmers, whose artist statements reveal unique creative philosophies and visual poetics.
Dominique Hoffer
Dominique Hoffer's work is deeply rooted in childhood reverie and storytelling. As she describes, she once spent hours copying “magical, enchanting” illustrated tales, and now imagines her own. Daydreams guide her canvas: a blank surface beckons her to sketch, collage, and paint. She draws from a vast visual archive: forests, characters, vehicles, merging them into theatrical, fairy tale tableaux where incongruent elements coexist in choreographed harmony. A devoted admirer of Bosch and Bruegel, Hoffer layers pigments, often three to four coats, to achieve narrative depth and painterly resonance. The title only appears once the story is complete, aligning with her original vision. Hoffer’s paintings offer a timeless escape into worlds of fantasy and thoughtful composition.
Dominique Hoffer, Les Treize Coups de Midi, 2024, Oil on canvas
Born in Tokyo to a French artistic family and shaped by travels through Asia, Africa, and Europe, Testard blends realism and fantasy in his paintings. His themes range widely from landscapes and portraits to interiors and dreamlike jungles. They are always infused with vibrant color and spontaneity. Drawing inspiration from Matisse, Gauguin, and Amrita Sher Gill, his originality lies in weaving East-West visual sensibilities.
In his Goa series, Testard recalls the grandeur of old Portuguese havelis—historic houses in Chandor—with tropical views visible through ornate windows. He describes these as dreamlike memories painted during the COVID era, a return to Europe, and reimagined as fantasies of Indian seclusion and lush gardens.
His Indian Jungle Screen triptych represents an even broader creative leap: a dense, dreamy jungle populated by nymphs, wild animals, strange trees, vibrant foliage, and a reflective, moonlit lake, echoing Kipling's Jungle Book and Rousseau’s naïve fantasies.
The cultural fusion and dreamlike scenario in Testard’s works explore memory, travel, and fantasy across continents.
Michel Testard, Indian Jungle Screen, 2025, Acrylic on canvas
Mieke Jonker
Mieke Jonker began her artistic journey as a goldsmith, but was struck by Rembrandt’s portrait of Haesje van Cleyburgh at the Rijksmuseum, a moment that led her to painting. Her work now captures the quiet beauty of still interiors. She builds compositions of muted architecture, rich colour contrasts, and spacious calm, inviting viewers to imagine themselves within her scenes. With a free, expressive touch, she balances composition and emotion to evoke interior narratives. As a Chinese proverb quoted by the artist goes: “A good painting requires the eye, the hand and the heart”, emphasising her belief in the union of observation, technique, and heartfelt expression.
In Jonker’s interiors, you will find quiet spaces and emotional resonance that invite contemplative engagement and subtle beauty.
Mieke Jonker, Holland Baroque VI, 2025, Oil on linen
For Geert Lemmers, making art is almost philosophical. It is a process of translating thoughts into metaphorical imagery. His works emerge from deliberate reflections, resulting in composed images that carry strong conceptual weight. Acknowledged as “Visual Art Master” by Accademia Italia in Arte nel Mondo and recipient of the Francisco Award at the Barcelona Biennale, his art is produced using advanced photographic printing techniques: HD photo paper on dibond with acrylic glass overlay, hung on aluminium suspension systems for depth and luminosity.
Lemmers’ pieces present a fresh hybrid medium that challenges the boundaries of visual art.
Geert Lemmers, Inside With Cloud, 2025, HD photo paper, glued onto a 3mm dibond base and 2mm acrylic glass on top
Each artist offers a distinct window into contemporary practice, from narrative collage and dream realism to intimate interiors and photographic metaphor.
If any of these works speak to you, reach out to artists or the ArtDependence team directly via their enquiry contacts.