Antje Rook LSDC

Antje has always been fascinated by the use of art to express ideas and emotion. Having trained in social care and psychotherapy, she transitioned to an artistic life in 1990, using the medium of stone and moving to the UK in 2006 to base herself in Portland, with its rich history of supplying stone for monumental works and architecture.

In 2010 she transferred mediums and began to explore her art through textiles, finding inspiration in the beauty of her environment. This developed hand-in-hand with a growing fascination with colour and texture varieties. She is a self-taught needlewoman and embroiderer and reflected her feminist view of the world in her first textile work - a series of creations celebrating imaginative women.

Antje’s work uses a multitude of techniques; for example, applique, fabric manipulation, free motion embroidery, sculptural embroidery, doll making, hand embroidery, printing, dyeing and painting on textiles.

She says: “Making art has the following purpose for me: it gives me a voice through which to express myself, be political, create beauty and heal.”

Previous work includes:

• The Home project - an exploration of what home means for different people, based on her own experiences and in collaboration with other artists.
• The Virus project, a long term work about dealing with the covid pandemic, based on her own and her husband’s experiences of being vulnerable persons shielding for almost two years.
• Various works about domestic violence and sexual abuse.
• Works about migration, refugees and finding a new place.
• Work about the women's issues.

Education

• Diploma in Social Studies/ Feminist Studies
• Trained Psychotherapist
• Qualification in Gender Studies

Memberships

• Society of Designer Craftsmen
• Embroiderers' Guild
• Society for Embroidered Work
• Art in Poundbury CiC
• The Covid Chronicle
• Creator of the Virus project, now in Dorset Museum

Selected Exhibitions

• 2017 Open for Art, Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester
• 2019 Open for Art, Weymouth, Portland, Dorchester
• 2019 South west Academy of fine and applied art in Exeter, Childhood Dreams
• 2020 Leaf exhibition in Wimborne
• 2020 Dorset Art Week
• 2021 Dorset Art Week
• 2022 Dorset Art Week
• 2020 The Virus Project, Art under Lockdown, Counterweave Gallery Rome
• 2020 till 2022 The Virus project, A virus a day for every day in Isolation,
• now permanently in Dorset Museum
• 2020 Bridport Art Centre, Treasure Planet
• 2020 Portraits for Heroes, Artist Support Pledge
• 2021 Surface and Depth, Rome Art Week, Palazzo Veli Expo
• 2021 The Knitting and Stitching Show, Portrait exhibition
• 2022 Art in Poundbury, Making a Mark
• 2022 New Wave Gallery Swanage, Winter exhibition
• 2022 Ancoats Pop up, Manchester, Home, An exploration of Meaning of Home
• 2023 Home, Multimedia exhibition about the meaning of Home, Weymouth and Portland, Curator and exhibitor
• 2023, The House of Smalls, Walk the line
• 2023, A sea of Talent, Poundbury
• 2022 – now The Covid Chronicle,in various locations in the UK
• 2023 Artist Talk at B-side Festival, Portland
• 2024 The revolting Artists, Weymouth
• 2024 Dorset Art Weeks
• 2024 B-side Festival, participating artist, work relating to The Red Dress