CV of Ellen Schippers

Ellen Schippers is a multi-disciplinair artist, who works as a designer, video-artist and photographer. She creates Performances and full evenings Performance Theatre with Wearable Sculptures. Besides she realizes theatrical installations with videos and photos.

Themes

With her performances she makes clear statements. Since the eighties she breaks through the well-defined gender role patterns of men and women and gives her feminist vision on women’s sexuality. For example, she designs clothing and wearable sculptures in which women emerge powerful, take the initiative and in which men emphasize their vulnerability. Each piece of clothing tells its own story, which asks to be brought out.

In the nineties Schippers focuses more on the inner experience of women. In these performances the tension between inner experience and outer appearance is central. She inflates or destroys the suffocating ideal image that is created and accepted by society.

Schippers creates a mysterious atmosphere, which gives the viewers room for their own associations and emotions. Her work is about female images, the ideals of beauty and about the contradiction between self-image and authenticity.

Performances and Performance Theatre with Wearable Sculptures

Ellen Schippers has been presenting her performances on stages in the Netherlands and abroad since 1981. She involves theatrical elements such as movement theater, music, light and later also poetry. The collaboration with dancers, actors and mime performers in combination with the wearable sculptures create a special synergy. The mysterious atmosphere and the poetic images appeal to the associative ability of the viewer.

Schippers presented her Performances and Performance Theatre in art festivals and theatres in the Netherlands and abroad: De Kleine Komedie, De Brakke Grond, Panama, Escape, the Melkweg, Paradiso, Mazzo, COC, Gallery Sponz, Maison Descartes (French Cultural Embassy), Homo-monument and the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre in Amsterdam, the World Science Fiction Congress in The Hague, Roze Zaterdag in Zwolle, the Hippodrome Theatre in London, the Dressing for Pleasure Festival in New York and the Wiener Sommer Symposion in Vienna.

Video Art, Installations and Photography

Since 2008 she creates video art, installations and photography. Her work was presented in group exhibitions: the Photoville Festival in New York, the Sirius Gallery in Tokyo, the International Athens Video Art Festival, Stedelijk Museum on tour in Amsterdam, the Red Stamp Art Gallery in Amsterdam, Oude Raadhuis in Aalsmeer, Louvre in Paris, Redleaf Gallery in London, Swiss Art Space in Lausanne, the Aleatoric Art Gallery in Houston, the Affordable Art Fair in London, Media Museum in Pescara, Museo Le Piccole Cisterne in Forno, Biennale Le Latitudini dell Arte, Palazzo Ducale in Genova and Pulchri in The Hague, F is For Feminism Hyperflexion Contemporary Art Gallery in South Africa.

Her work was also presented in solo-exhibitions: Image & I-magic at location, Frauen-sehnsucht in Loods 6, Snowwhite & Sherazade in Arti et Amicitiae and Atria, Lost in Transition in the Red Stamp Art Gallery, all in Amsterdam.

In 2010 Schippers was the main artist in the International Women Art Festival in Aleppo (Syria).

GUP Award (Guide Unique Photography) Ellen Schippers Photo Talent 2014

Photo Books

7 Faces of Women Art Fashion, Paranymf, Amsterdam 2023

7 Faces of Women Art Photography, Paranymf, Amsterdam 2021

7 Faces of Women Wearable Sculptures, Paranymf, Amsterdam 2020

Press

The Dutch television shows Het Klokhuis, Backstage, AT5 Special Report, Rok&Rol, RTL4 Middageditie, SBS6, Veronica broadcasted specials, portraying Ellen Schippers work. Interviews on Dutch television as well as abroad: Tineke, Catherine, Spijkers, Breakfast TV Club, Firma Onrust VPRO, Studio NL, Union Libre (France 2), German Nightshow, NDR 3 and Klim Op (BRT).

Ellen Schippers had her own Talkshow with fashion designers on Salto and was interviewed herself on the radio shows Radio Vitrine, Veronica and VPRO Radio.

The presentation of her Performance Theatre Metamorfose was an item on the Dutch RTL News show and Seven Faces of Women embellished the cover of the Uitkrant.

Ellen Schippers has been interviewed by daily newspapers and monthlies: Volkskrant, Parool, Trouw, Nieuws van de Dag, Algemeen Dagblad, De Groene Amsterdammer, de Telegraaf, de Waarheid, Spits and HP/De Tijd. Articles and photo reports also appeared in magazines: Uitkrant, Avantgarde, Elle, Marie Claire, Beau Monde, Cosmopolitan, Couturekrant, Viva, HP, Laurens, Gaykrant, Oor, Vinyl, Homologie, Sek, Zij aan Zij, Textielvisie, Spits, One, Strictly, de Groene Amsterdammer, Time-Out, Haarlems Dagblad, Rotterdams Dagblad, Textilia and Roof. The Italian Marie Claire, Donna, Dove, the English Skin Two, the American Mondo 2000 and the Spanish Dodo Magazine featured Ellen Schippers work.

Assignments for theater, movies and celebrities

She did design clothing and wearable sculptures for the Staatsoper in Dresden, Introdans, Corpus Acrobatic Dance Theatre, Made in Da Shade, I-Compani, Dolly Bellefleur, Ellen ten Damme, Marynka Nicolai, Nance, Sylvana, Robine van de Meer, Marianne Timmer, Maartje van Weegen and Justin Bieber in Madame Tussaud in Amsterdam does wear an Ellen Schippers Design. For a video clip of Racoon and for the movies Lost in Amsterdam by Pim de la Parra and Loos by Theo van Gogh.

She did also design wearable sculptures for the galleries Novanta Nove and Galerie Sothmann in Amsterdam. And for the Hairshow of Spectrum wearable sculptures of Hair.

Collaboration

Schippers did collaborated in projects with various artists such as Penck, Mirko Krabbe and Peter Giele; the poets George Moorman and Arthur Lava; the composers Bo van de Graaf (I-Compani) and Hans Asselbergs.

Photographers

Her designs have been photographed by a.o. Erwin Olaf, Wim van de Hulst, Cindy Marler, Angele Etoundi Essamba, Roy Tee, Fran van der Hoeven.

Lectures

Hoge School van Amsterdam, Mode Lyceum Amsterdam, Amfi, Bond van Kleermakers, UvA about Art & Gender for political science and gender studies, the small Mosse lecture about Art & Gender for the UvA, Atria, Hivos and the International Womens Art Festival in Aleppo.

Masterclasses

For students of the HvA and Aleppo during the International Women Art Festival.

Performance Theatre with Wearable Sculptures

2003 – I dreamed of living slowly with poetry, Vondelpark Openluchttheater

2003 – Seven Faces of Women in cooperation with poet Arthur Lava, Panama Amsterdam

2002 – ArtFashionTheatre, de Kunstenaars Salon with poet Arthur Lava, Maison Descartes

2001 – De Broerekerk in cooperation with restaurant De Librije, Zwolle

2000 – Roze Zaterdag, Vondelpark Openluchttheater, Amsterdam

1999 – Metamorfose, Escape Amsterdam

1998 – Hairshow of Spectrum, Escape Amsterdam

1998 – Vondelpark Openluchttheater, Amsterdam

1995 – Hippodrome Theatre, London

1994 – Marcanti, Amsterdam

1993 – Indecent Decennium, de Kleine Komedie, Amsterdam

1992 – Charity Evening Ball, London

1990 – Zoo Garten, Wuppertal

1990 – World Science Fiction Congress, The Hague

1990 – Roze zaterdag, Zwolle

1990 – Kunstmanifestatie Haagse Zomer, The Hague

1990 – Kleding, Kunst & Erotiek, Mazzo, Amsterdam

1988 – Das Wiener Sommer Symposiom, an Art Festival in Vienna

1986 – Skintight, de Brakke Grond, Amsterdam

1985 – Mazzo

1985 – Festival van de Verleiding, Melkweg, Amsterdam

Performances with Wearable Sculptures

2008 – Bal du Masque, Amsterdam

2007 – Supperclub, Amsterdam

2006 – Women in Paradise, Paradiso

2003 – De Hart Club, Panama Amsterdam

2001 – Homo-monument

2001 – ArtFashionTheatre with George Moorman en Hans Asselberg, Studio Grasland, Haarlem

2001 – ArtFashionTheatre, Kunstenaars Salon de Derde Verdieping, Amsterdam

1999 – Canal Parade, Gay Pride in Amsterdam

1998 – Klap op de Vuurpijl in cooperation with I-Compani, Werktheater, Amsterdam

1998 – 3-day Festival, De Melkweg, Amsterdam

1994 – Art Festival, Cologne

1994 – Literary Festival de Bezige Bij in de Melkweg, Amsterdam

1988 – Dressing for Pleasure, Hilton New York

1986 – Dressing for Pleasure, Hilton New York

1984 – Art Auction, Meervaart with Marcel van Dam, Amsterdam

1983 – Manipulaties III, Shaffy Theater, Galery Sponz, Melkweg, Vondelpark Openluchttheater

1982 – Manipulaties I & II, Vondelpark Openluchttheater, Melkweg and De Vrije Vloer in Utrecht

1981 – NRC pand, Amsterdam

Video Art, Installations and Photos (Group Exhibitions)

2021 – Biennale Le Latitudini dell Arte, Studio Pulchri, The Hague

2019 – Biennale Le Latitudini dell Arte, Palazzo Ducale in Genova, Italy

2019 – F is For Feminism, Hyperflexion Contemporary Art Gallery, Port Elizabeth, South Africa

2018 – The Body Link, Red Stamp Art Gallery, Amsterdam

2017 – Uncut II, the collection of Barbara van Ittersum, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam

2016 – Thresholds with Christian Zanotto and Louisa Mazza, Red Stamp Art Gallery, Amsterdam

2016 – Lost in Transition at PX, Volendam

2016 – Archeology of communication, Museo Le Piccole Cisterne in Forno, Italy

2016 – Media Museum in Pescara, Italy

2016 – Oxford International Art Fair with Art Heerenveen Art Gallery

2015 – Amsterdam International Art Fair with Art Heerenveen Art Gallery, Beurs van Berlage

2015 – See Me, digital presentation at Louvre, Paris

2014 – Art Square Amsterdam

2014 – De Kring, Summer Exhibition, Amsterdam

2014 – Keep on Dreaming, Sirius Gallery, Tokyo

2014 – Keep on Dreaming, Amstel Gallery, Amsterdam

2013 – The Redleaf Gallery, London

2013 – New Dutch Photography Talent 2, GUP Gallery, Amsterdam

2013 – Keep on Dreaming, Photoville Festival, New York

2013 – Autumn Joy, Oude Raadhuis, Aalsmeer

2013 – The Redleaf Gallery, London

2013 – The Affordable Art Fair, London

2012 – The Redleaf Gallery, London

2012 – The Aleatoric Art Gallery, Houston

2012 – Video Sherazade at the Athens International Video Art Festival

2012 – Affordable Art Fair, London

2012 – Swiss Art Space, Lausanne

2011 – The Redleaf Gallery, London

2011 – Galerie Espace Enny, Laag Keppel, sound installation with artist Relly Tarlo

2010 – International Women Art Festival in Aleppo, Syria

2010 – Women Inc. Festival in Amsterdam

2010 – Silent Cry, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam

2009 – Video Art & Gender, Stedelijk Museum on tour, Amsterdam

Video Art, Installations and Photos (Solo Exhibitions)

2017 – Lost in Transition, The Red Stamp Art Gallery, Amsterdam

2014 – Snowwhite & Sherazade, Atria (Institute on gender equality), Amsterdam

2012 – Snowwhite & Sherazade, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam

2010 – Frauensehnsucht, Loods 6, Amsterdam

2008 – Image & I-magic on location, Amsterdam

2002 – Installation in Club Panama, Amsterdam

Biography

1955 – Ellen Schippers, Amsterdam the Netherlands

1973-1977 – Education at Academie de Schans, Textile Art, Amsterdam

1977-1981 – Education at Vrije Academie, Fashion, Textile and Performance Art, The Hague

1981 – Started working as a designer and performance artist

1981 – Started Performances with wearable sculptures

1985 – Started her business Ellen Schippers Design

1986-1987 – Education at the Rotterdamse Snijschool

2002-2003 – Education at Open Studio, Video, Amsterdam

2007-2008 – Education at Universiteit van Amsterdam, Gender studies

2008 – Started with Videos, Photos and Installations

2008 – Art&Fashion: a talk show on local Radio

2018 – You Tube Channel 7 Faces of Women