Home
Published Work
How can I really connect?
Connecting with people is the great source of inspiration for my work. In 2024 I graduated from ArtEZ University of the Arts with a bachelor in Illustration Design. My graduation project existed out of different projects where I connected with people outside of my own bubble. For months I visited different places in Zwolle to get to know new people. The art I made is about our conversations and the stories that those people shared with me.
I learned a lot by listening to many different people and stories. By sharing them with my art I want to encourage myself and others to talk to the people around them. The woman next to you on the bus, the person in front of you in line in a store and the man you pass on the street
Community center Holtenbroek
At the community center I participated in various activities for women: cycling lessons, exercise lessons and the women's café. During the exercise lessons I made sketches of the women exercising which I incorporated into tiles. During the women's café, the women drink coffee together and I was able to talk with them. I made a bigger piece about the women's café, a combination of the things I saw and the things they said. I immediately noticed that the women feel very comfortable here. They draw support from each other and there is a lot of laughter.
Café 't Kroegje
The first time I walked into this brown café I noticed that it was full of regular guests. Later I got to know some of them, some of whom come for a walk almost every day. Entire groups of friends have emerged in café t' Kroegje and it is truly a neighbourhood café. Below you can see the tapestries that I made about the lovely guests that I spoke in the cafe, You can listen to our conversations in Dutch.
Amina
This tapestry is about my friend Amina. She's from Syria and we met in March 2023 through a program, because she asked to get in contact with a Dutch girl. It turned out in a very special friendship. This tapestry is about our friendship, what I learned from her, our differences, similarities and misunderstandings.
In gesprek met De Zichten
In december 2023 I made this animation for an artist in residence at TOON in the Neighbourhood De Zichten in
The Hague. I tried to speak to as many local residents as possible and collected their voices and stories.
In the animation "In gesprek met De zichten" I've combined these stories, to show the diversity of stories in this neighbourhood. I do this because I noticed that I can learn a lot when I listen to the stories of people outside of my own bubble. With sharing these stories in my art with other people I hope this can count for other people to and that we maybe can have a bit more understanding for each other.
Switzerland
In May 2023 I spent three weeks in Switzerland and I wanted to get to know the country by meeting its people. Through an organization I could stay in people's homes in exchange for help. These people really let me into their family during the week I was there as a guest. We ate together, went grocery shopping, I met some of their friends, they showed me their favorite places and we had long conversations. In Switzerland I filled a sketchbook with the stories of those wonderful people. Back home I used different techniques to work them out. See the paintings, etchings and screen prints below.
Factory workers
In December 2022 I devoted a project to the employees of the factory where my father works. I had a student job there during the holidays, when I became fascinated by the interaction between all the kind and welcoming factory workers. Many different men from different backgrounds all work together with a lot of jokes and laughter. In the canteen you hear both Turkish and old-fashioned Dutch, and although I am different from them, they made me feel very welcome.
About
Jaantje Anna van Hout (first name Jannah) is an illustrator and artist currently based in Zwolle, The Netherlands. She encourages herself to get in contact and talk to a lot of people preferable with people outside of er own bubble. The stories she collect doing this are the main subject of her illustrations. She does this because she can learn a lot from the people she talks to and because of that she wants to share these stories through her art with others. With more knowledge about each other stories she hopes for more understanding.
She also works on commission. Go to 'Puplished Work' for more information.
Contact
Email: jannahvanhout@gmail.com
Instagram: @jaantjeanna