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Sigrid Calon
Sigrid / by Sanne Jansen
Sigrid and I met about 7 years ago when she asked me to be part of a unique Textile exhibition ‘Connected & Collected’ that she initiated and curated. Though we were living in the same city and probably crossing each other’s paths regularly we hadn’t met before. But we ‘connected’, as the title of the exhibition stated, and stayed friends ever since.
The exhibition ‘Connected & Collected’ appeared to contain several aspects and qualities that I’ve come to love in the work and personal life of Sigrid. Above all the exhibition was fully autonomous; it showed a personal view on what textile is about, with unconventional choices, mixing art and design and showing unexpected connections. It was fresh, modern and optimistic. Sigrid had followed her gut in curating this exhibition and her gut had great vision.
Sigrid has been working as a visual artist for over more than 10 years now. After years of commercial work she was ready to redevelop her artistic roots and plunged into the world of the Arts. In Art School she was educated in the field of Textile and that is still very tangible and visible. Even though her work seems mainly graphical, the actual base for the grid that she’s using and the connections within the grid are based on embroidery, the canvas and its stitches. A never-ending source of inspiration and possibilities!
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Sigrid’s work is very direct and hits you with loads of energy. Both her installations and 3D work as well as her graphical work seem to draw you in. The use of bold colours combined with intriguing patterns and structures create visual explosions you just have to look at. This love for colour and texture is something we share, and a reflection of her energetic personality.
​Though Sigrid has created many inspired pieces over the years it was not until her first artist book ‘To the extend of / \ | & -‘ came out that the impact of her work started to grow rapidly. She decided to create the ultimate work to showcase her mind and came up with a self-published and self-printed book. The book was, of course, bold and colourful and made without concessions, the perfect way to present, but also spread her ideas. The result was a must-have book with incredible riso-printed patterns that, once discovered, was sold (out) all over the world.​
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Sigrid didn’t sit back waiting till someone would discover her work. She decided to travel the world to show and sell this book herself. She went to artist book fairs in Torino, New York, LA etc. Bringing her work in person to the right places made it connect to the right people. I believe it wasn’t just the book, but also her optimistic and open mind, always looking for new people and places to connect to, that contributed to her success. It opened the doors to the rest of the world.​
​Sigrid considerately strolls between the world of Art, Graphics and Design. There are no real boundaries; her work can go either way. Which has lead to amazing opportunities like designing new watches for Swatch presented at the Art Biennale in Venice, designing the entrance of 5th Avenue UNIQLO in New York, coming up with new floor designs for Forbo as well as sunglasses for Italian eyewear brand Oxydo and the list goes on. On the other hand she keeps developing her own artistic work and is always up for unexpected opportunities and collaborations, which can actually be very small and local, as long as there is something to learn and discover. And no matter what the outcome is, her work stays personal and unmistakably recognizable.
It’s been a pleasure to be able to follow Sigrid’s journey pretty much front row. I find it truly inspiring to see how she developed her work and created her own autonomous place in this world. She is the proof in the pudding that you should follow your gut and your dreams. If you want to stand out, be your true self. If anything, her journey shows that perseverance and optimism, even when things don’t go as planned, are key elements to get life in motion.
www.sigridcalon.nl
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