Annemarie van der Kolk: Conversation Between Animal and Human

Annemarie van der Kolk embarked on her artistic journey after studying at the Grafische School in Zwolle, later discovering the enduring strength of bronze around 2004. 

Her art opens a whispered conversation between animal and human, memory and imagination, humour and introspection.

Van der Kolk’s sculptures are intimate revelations of our shared nature. She often casts animals with subtle human expressions—hinting at the emotional intelligence we might share with them. “Animals have emotions and a certain form of intelligence that we humans will not always understand,” she says.

There is a poetic constancy in her choice of material and subject. Bronze becomes more than a medium—it is metaphor for lasting empathy between beings. Her studio, rooted in the Dutch landscape, seems to hum with life: silent animals, playful gestures and luminous textures.