Anneke Kaai-van Wijngaarden was born on 5 February 1951 in Naarden in the Netherlands. She trained at the Gooise Academy for Fine Art before completing her studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. In her paintings, Anneke Kaai expresses the deep feelings that she experiences in response to the words of the Bible or related biblical themes. In this she feels that she is guided by God’s spirit. Anneke seeks to express ‘how faith feels’.
God is her primary source of inspiration. She also seeks to bridge the gap between the Church and the arts. In the past the two were more closely related, and visual images were used to teach illiterate members the Bible stories. In our current highly visual culture, art can again point to abstract, spiritual realities. Art can start a dialogue, it also moves people and can communicate comfort and encouragement, or it can strengthen our relationship with God and Christ.
There are regular exhibitions of the work of Anneke Kaai, often in churches. Television programs, newspapers and magazines, particularly in the Netherlands, regularly feature her paintings.
Anneke has also been invited to exhibit abroad. She had exhibitions in Switzerland, Germany and in the UK, Carlisle, Cambridge and in the Cathedrals of Ely and Peterborough. Also she has given several illustrated talks about her work in England and on a world-conference about ‘Art and Faith’ and at the Calvin Institute in Grand Rapids in the USA.
She was invited to exhibit with several other artists of the world in Madrid in Spain on World Youth-Day. Afterwards Anneke Kaai exhibits the series of the Apostolic Creed for a long time in the beautiful Church in Castelló d’Empuries in Spain.
Anneke Kaai was invited for a special project in South Africa. There was a presentation of Music and Song composed by Elana Bettings inspired on the paintings of Anneke’s series the Psalms. Several TV programs in South Afrika were made about this project.
Anneke describes her own style as abstract and symbolic, sometimes expressionistic. She works with acrylic on Plexiglas.
Anneke has paint the next series:
Related to God (22), Portrets of women in the Bible (30), The Psalms (25), Prayers from the Bible (20), Biblewords (23), The Revelation (24), The Apostolische Creed (12), TheTen Commentments (12), The Creation (16 copies), Other paintings and Artworks.