Anneke's approach to her collage work is touching. Her work is spiritual and deeply led by her connectedness with the individual she is honouring through collage and her connection with the (natural) world around her. In this conversation we reflected on what inspires her and how her style developed.

Anneke Stils’ collages are enchanting and otherworldly, where snippets of life come together in fresh colour combinations, carefully selected images and interesting textures. As her hands piece together fragments of life, her mind finds stillness in the creative flow. Anneke's exploration into the medium of collage is about connection between the tangible and the intangible—it’s a story of emotion, spirituality and an innate understanding of the interconnectedness of everything.

Transferable skills
As a self-declared perfectionist with a background in editing and a love for precision, Anneke reflects on the parallels between her previous professional background and her newfound artistic passion. "I love the precision required in editing work, it’s about details and knowing when to leave something out," she says.

In a career that began in Human Resources at a publishing house, Anneke later shifted her focus to editing professional literature for HR managers. She worked on making complex texts more understandable in magazines, books, websites and (e-mail) newsletters. Her attention to detail and perfectionist tendencies were well placed in the world of language, where every comma and quotation mark held significance. Now she expresses that attention to detail in the intricate world of collage.

Beginner to dedicated enthusiast
The venture into collage art began in 2018 when Anneke enrolled in a six-week cut-and-paste course with Dutch collage artist Juliette Pestel in the Hague. “I’ve seen many people in my atelier try out collage and become excited about this medium, but not many find a real passion for it like Anneke. In the five years I have known her, collage has become her daily practice. She developed a style that is so unique relatively quickly, and I can’t think of anyone to compare it to. It’s a ‘fairytale-like’ world, often featuring photographs of loved ones, in which her strong sense of wilfulness comes through. Anneke was inquisitive and enamoured with the collage process from the first lessons. I rarely advised on her work, there wasn’t much to add, and I admit that I also held back because I was too curious to see where she was heading with a particular idea! She would learn techniques very quickly and then adapt them in her work; for example, there was a class on mark-making and after experimenting a little, I could see how she embraced it and it has become a recurring element in her work.

Meaningful connection
It’s intriguing and unsurprising that Anneke's collage work combines various elements from her past: embroidery, drawing, language and an innate attention to detail. "Everything seems to have come together in collage," she muses. She raised two children while pursuing a professional career and recently celebrated 53 years of marriage. The devotion that fueled her personal and family life is now channelled into the vibrant, handcrafted pieces she makes. Her collages aren’t just artistic expressions but a labour of love, a tangible representation of her deep connections with friends and family. "My favourite pieces to make are collages for friends and family. It's my way of paying attention and connecting to that person, even if they are no longer with us," Anneke confides. Each collage becomes a vessel of memories, an ode to the people she holds dear. It's exactly these ingredients of friendship, love, companionship, and connection that give Anneke's work a deep sense of meaning. "When I make a collage with a photograph of someone I know, I'm connecting to the material, thinking about that person. I feel deeply, almost into subconscious layers. There’s an intangible line running through my collage, an energy belonging to the person the work is about. There is love and the identity of the person. I add specific features and things I know about them. I carry them with me while I'm collaging," she explains.

She shares insights into her evolving perspective, which is marked by personal experiences and deep introspection. “This second exhibition feels very different from the first time I exhibited because, at that time, it was all new. It was exhilarating, and I noticed I was pushing myself to perfection. In the lead-up to this exhibition, some personal things happened that distracted me from worrying about the exhibition. At the same time, those events became integral to the work I showed in the latest exhibition.

Collage as catharsis
In the run-up to the group exhibition, "The Great Puzzle," facilitated by Juliette Pestel, Anneke reflects on the transformative process of creating 'Moederziel' (mother's soul), intertwining the themes of loss, time, and familial bonds. “This piece is highly personal and my most important work for this exhibition.” Earlier this year, her nephew passed away, and Anneke keenly felt the loss of a child through her sister's grieving and her relationship with her nephew. “In Moederziel you can see the child, the passage of time, and the blood ties. It's a 60-diameter round collage, the largest I've ever made.” Since the exhibition took place, the piece has been sold. I asked Anneke how that felt, and she admitted it was a shock, yet she could let go of it. Indeed Anneke's emotional investment in her work goes beyond its sale; it's about the profound connection she forges with the lost life, making each piece a testament to the value of time spent creating and communing. “Once it was finished, I saw a similarity to kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing things visibly. I had placed a golden thread right through the (mother) figure, now a very broken and sad person who becomes like a different being. Her grief is internalised and now a part of her being. Making Moederziel was certainly a cathartic process.”

Inspired by Mexico
The richness of Anneke's artistic expression extends beyond her work made at home to the vibrant streets of Mexico, where she found inspiration during her 2022 visit. Immersed in the colours, flavours, and traditions, Anneke's piece 'Moederziel' is about new life and hope. The details include a photo she took of a piece of street art in Oaxaca. Typical of her considerate and thorough nature, she requested permission from artist Avendano Santiago to use the image in her work, and he responded with a resounding ‘Yes’. She explores the layers of her past, present, and future because 'Who am I without my family?' she asks.

Although she had been invited to Mexico several times, when the daughter of her good friend Dorothy suggested Anneke could travel with her brother and his girlfriend, she agreed to go. “I was surprised because who wants an older person tagging along on a trip like that? I arrived in Mexico City and was blown away and overwhelmed by the colours, the food, and the people. Everything was so very different but very okay. I found the colours and language of the indigenous people so impressive. I enjoyed the street paintings and the beautiful museums in Mexico, including the work of Frida Kahlo. I soaked up as much as I could during that trip. For example, observing local traditions on the Day of the Dead was very special. I watched locals honour and celebrate their deceased relatives by singing music and sharing food. I had a picture of Dorothy with me and strongly felt an invisible line of connection. Such public displays of sadness and grief, but in a way that was also joyous, was something that I won’t forget. ”

Audio and visual inspiration
Other inspiration comes from literature, music or film. Beautiful words, images, colours and music inspire me. In whatever form. I find Patricia Highsmith's work compelling and like it so much that I have nearly all her books. Her description of human behaviour in her psychological novels is so detailed. Much of her work has been filmed, and it is also very evocative. I also read poetry (for example, Vasalis). I visit the arthouse cinema regularly and like to be inspired by new images and beautiful and moving films. There is plenty of inspirational music. My interests range from Underworld to Satie, Sakamoto, Bach, jazz, and Boudewijn de Groot. They are very diverse and depend upon my mood. I am a big fan of the work of Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. He masterfully, and evocatively describes events in characteristically constructed universes. The different realities he conjures up are amazing to get lost in and capture the imagination.

Inspired by Japan
Besides Murakami Anneke is also a fan of anime storyteller Miyazaki. "I don’t know if I can pinpoint what it is exactly about the Japanese style or culture that I like. The beautiful design is the first striking thing about Hayao Miyazaki's anime films. The films are hand-drawn, and almost every story has a positive twist that delights and moves me. The music in the films fits wonderfully with a dream world that uniquely shapes the wonders of nature. Fairy tales become a reality. In Miyazaki's and Murakami's works, an extra layer intrigues and fascinates me immensely. Maybe that's typically Japanese? In my collages, I try to capture that extra layer. Perhaps that is why I am so fascinated by these writers, film and music makers."

A super-natural life
Last but by no means least, nature plays a significant role in Anneke’s work. "For me, the sense of being part of nature is a given. I do not see nature as something outside myself, but I am part of it. I move with her, and she with me. She comes through me. I marvel at all her phenomena. It is (partly) my connection with nature that inspires me to make collages. It is life itself. In addition, through my collages, I can show a small and different reality of my nature and being."

Through her collages, Anneke navigates the intangible lines that connect us all, reminding us that in life, every piece has a story, and it's a story that goes beyond the surface. Juliette says, “What I think is so special about her work is that it comes from a place of love, and that love for another motivates her to make pieces in which she communicates with the past to connect in the present.” Anneke's collages are not just art; they are heartfelt narratives, capturing the essence of the people she cherishes and the stories that resonate within her.

Collage-making is the ultimate way for me to express myself. By creating a collage, I can convey what I cannot express in words.

This article featured in issue Kolaj Magazine issue 40