Inka ter Haar
*1980, lives and works in Duisburg

Inka ter Haar first studied Social Sciences and Sociology at the Gerhardt-Mercator University in Duisburg-Essen. In 2011, she graduated with distinction from the Freie Akademie der bildenden Künste in Essen, with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. In 2017, she gained her Master in Fine Arts from the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst in Basel. Inka ter Haar lives and works in Basel.
Inka ter Haar's paintings show images of objects in intensely vibrant primary colors, which stand out against the monochrome backgrounds of the paintings through clear lines. Inka ter Haar places chairs, tables, lamps, windows, and other everyday objects in dialogue with each other as a form of analysis and reflection of social situations. The figures in the paintings become the protagonists of a fictional plot. The color tones create moods, similar to the effect of music in films. The human body appears in fragments, but the artist reduces the pictorial components to the essentials and consciously only hints at the events. The canvas of the painting becomes the place of action with subtext. Her paintings invite us to pick up the thread, to let the narratives develop in our minds, and to read between the lines. They tell stories that speak of love, sexuality, violence and death. These essential themes, which she deals with in her works, are based on her intensive investigation of current events, fundamental social issues, and the experiences of interpersonal relationships. The tension in the plot is created by the deliberately developed ambiguity of the scenes, because Inka ter Haar's paintings, for all their clarity in depiction, elude a fixed interpretation. It is about painting as a mirror and a testimony of human existence. 

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