Sylwia Claessen, The Spectre of Fear, 2024

acrylic on canvas, 100 cm x 70 cm

Art Gallery - The Fifth Dimension: I’m curious—does Sylwia Claessen feel overwhelmed by the fame of Rembrandt, Bosch, Rubens, and Van Gogh in their homeland? Do you feel like a second-class citizen in the Netherlands?
Sylwia Claessen: “Absolutely not. I speak their language, so I’m integrating with the Dutch. I live in the small town of Wijchen in the southern part of the country, where 90 percent of the residents are Dutch. I get along very well with them. My husband is Dutch, so maybe that’s why I don’t feel any difference. Besides, Poland is viewed positively by Dutch society; Poland’s significant aid to Ukraine during the war certainly plays a role in that. Besides, in the big cities, the Netherlands isn’t typically “Dutch” anymore, since 70 percent of the population consists of people from other countries: mainly Turks, Africans, etc. As for “breaking into” the art gallery scene, that’s usually a very limited opportunity, since you need to have either connections or considerable experience in networking...