Ruth Korthof, trained as an engineer, is a Dutch designer of sustainable art. After moving every couple of years, from Asia to South America and many places in between, she is currently living in Ljubljana with one foot in The Netherlands. The perks of being married to a diplomat.
“When you move so often there is no room for clutter. I love to recycle all kinds of objects into pieces of art, reusing what is commonly thrown out, art that is useful, art that brings joy.” Ruth Korthof,
DC Slovenia talked to Ruth and we share with you just a part of the magic Ruth creates. If you get inspired by her amazing sustainable and unique art pieces, which you most certainly will, we wish you a nice art journey while you read the lines below and invite you to follow this artist on social media and her web site.
DC: Are artists “one of us common people” or does an artist walk another path and see the world through different lenses?
Ruth Korthof: For me an artist is one of us common people. though I have to admit that I sometimes see value or beauty in trash, where others don’t see this.
DC: When did an artist and designer win over the trained engineer in you? What inspired this identity change? Describe the day you became a creative designer. Does one wake up one morning and start creating art?
Ruth Korthof: In a way I always have been creative, for example in decorating our house. I have always been awful in letting objects in my house be and could never resist bringing new ones into our house. The trash-bin got wheels and diamond studs. Our couch has known countless colors and fabrics. A tree trunk left on the side of the road was taken home and turned into the foot of a table.I am an engineer by profession, an artist by soul, in both fields one has to be inventive. As an artist I am an autodidact. Self-taught. This basically means my Google search history is swarmed with questions like “what can keep my fingers from sticking together with glue” or “how to survive the smell of s licone mixed with baking powder. I love to make art out of everyday life.
DC: Your motto is Stories in Art. Which stories does your creativity tell us? Is being a spouse to a diplomat and as you once wrote yourself “having an ambassador as your PA” one of those stories? Is Ruth as a mother of 3 children and someone who moved around the world a lot described in your art stories?
Ruth Korthof: As a lover of people, I focus on designing sustainable art with a story. The stories are stories of people who bring me their treasures or broken pieces, which I turn into pieces of art. And I also make my own stories, about my tears, my history, my struggles. My husband helps me to sometimes see stories or art works from another angle, he helps me setting up exhibitions, and he helped me to starting this artist life. He agreed to stop at the side of the road to pick up broken pieces at a damaged bus shelter, or bricks in the trash from a building container and helped to move the endless amounts of boxes with shards & broken pieces to my ArtStudio. Being a mother of 3 and moving so many times as a family in my life to very different environments has maybe instilled the awareness of the need to an out of the box approach.
DC: When you describe your creativity, you speak of brokenness. What kind of solace does your heart look for? Do you, like many of us now, having in mind the current period of destruction, wars, and instability, feel the 21st century “Weltschmerz”?
Ruth Korthof: Being aware of everything happening in the world is unbearable. Working with my hands, heart & head I find solace to my heart. My art helps me to make sense of it all. in a way it gives comfort to make beauty from brokenness.
DC: Your art expression is very unique and your art form is sustainable. Tell us about this drive to reuse and give new life to objects.
Ruth Korthof: We have to change something in our era to safe or conserve our beautiful planet. That leads me to reusing materials. Ideas pop into my head faster than I can carry them out! Focusing on recycling materials helps me to limit my options. Artworks transport us to a world of sustainability, where we learn the value of recycling and reusing discarded objects. Curious what I am doing follow me on Instagram: I share my process and out- comes. And let me know in case you want to visit my art studio.
https://www.instagram.com/ruthkorthof/
https://www.facebook.com/ruthkorthof.nl
