Ank Draijer

Ank Draijer was born in Leiden, The Netherlands. She took her first painting classes while growing up in her home country. For the last forty-three years she has been living in Latin America. Her first stop there was Peru, followed by Colombia, where a couple of years were spent living in the Amazon jungle. Now she lives already more than thirty years in Costa Rica.
Her work is strongly influenced by the rich colours and overwhelming nature of the tropics, particularly of Costa Rica. The energy and healing power that emanate from nature keep feeding her passion for painting. In her work she expresses her concern for the natural environment. She is conscious that nature actively offers us teachings, sending us signals of climate change, challenging us to be aware of our role and responsibility as humans. She finds it hard to imagine a future without the healing powers of nature’s energy, deeply understanding the interdependence between the forests, the oceans, the wildlife they sustain, and us.
Having experimented with many different styles and techniques, and influenced by both the urban and natural environments she has lived in, she now paints more abstract without leaving out figurative elements.
Her paintings has been exhibited in group- and solo exhibitions in the United States of America, The Netherlands, France, Colombia, Uruguay and Costa Rica and are in private collections in Costa Rica, Poland, Spain, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic and The United States of America.

Art formation: From 1966 till 1969 drawing and painting class at “Onze lieve Vrouwentoren”, Amersfoort, The Netherlands.
From 1983 till 1985 silkscreen class with Berendina Bakker, Bogota, Colombia.
From 1997 till 1998 drawing and portrait class with Jim Teologos, San Jose, Costa Rica.
In 1998 a workshop painting and monotype with Tineke Jacobs at the Art Center “Haagweg 4”, Leiden, The Netherlands.
In 1998 a workshop frame design with Anouk Henny, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
From 1999 till 2004 painting class with Max Rojas, San Jose, Costa Rica.

INDIVIDUAL EXHIBITIONS:
2001:
ESPACIOS, Banco de Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica.
ESPACIOS, Banco de Costa Rica, Escazu, Costa Rica.
CAFÉ MUNDO, San Jose, Costa Rica
2003:
CAFÉ DE ARTISTAS, Escazu, Costa Rica
2004:
GALLERY MENEER DE VRIES, Harderwijk, The Netherlands.
2007:
RESTAURANT SENOR DE SIPAN, San Jose, Rica.
2015:
FUERZAS Y METAMORFOSIS, Galeria San Jose Indoor Club, San Jose, Costa Rica.
HOTEL SUGAR BEACH, Potrero, Costa Rica. At the "Information to Transformation" Workshop dr. Joe Dispenza.
2016:
LA GALERIA, Hotel Villa San Ignacio, Tambor de Alajuela, Costa Rica.
ICARO, SOL Y LUNAS, Isaac Barcat Art Gallery, San Jose, Costa Rica.


COLLECTIVE EXHIBITIONS:
2001:
HOLANDARTE, Museo Dr. Rafael Angel Calderon Guardia, San Jose, Costa Rica
2005:
HOTEL HERRADURA, San Jose, Costa Rica
2013:
EL TOQUE HOLANDES, Casa de Cuno (Antigua Aduana), San Jose, Costa Rica.
2014:
ART CRASHER, Collective Art Show, Venice Arts Gallery, Venice Los Angeles, USA
2015:
ART & DESIGN SHOW 2015, Pedregal, San Antonio de Belen, Costa Rica.
2016:
GALERIA AVENIDA 7, San Jose, Costa Rica.
PLAZA MURANO with Optimum Artis, Santa Ana, Costa Rica.
ARTE EN LA VILLA, with Optimum Artis, La Galeria, Hotel Villa San Ignacio, Tambor de Alajuela, Costa Rica.
DESPIERTA COSTA RICA, Isaac Barcat Art Gallery, San Jose, Costa Rica.
ZOOARTE, with Optimum Artis, Parque Bolivar, San Jose Costa Rica.
BNARTE, with Optimum Artis, Banco Nacional, Central Office, San Jose Costa Rica.
2017:
PLAZA MURANO ABRE LAS PUERTAS AL ARTE, Plaza Murano, Santa Ana, Costa Rica.
GALERIA ARTE PALMARES 2017, Palmares, Costa Rica.
VIVA EL ARTE EN PASEO METROPOLI, with Optimum Artis, Paseo Metropoli, Cartago, Costa Rica.
GALERIA CABERNET, San Jose, Costa Rica
FERIA DE ARTE TERRAMALL, San Jose, Costa Rica.
ARTE SUPREMO, Tribunal Supremo de Elecciones, San Jose, Costa Rica.
REENCUENTRO CON EL ARTE PRECOLOMBINO, Museo del Jade, San Jose, Costa Rica
MONDIAL ART ACADEMIA AMSTERDAM COSTA RICA, Galeria Yar Burba, San Jose, Costa Rica.
PINCELADAS DEL ALMA, Optimum Artis, El Castillo Country Club, Heredia, Costa Rica.
130 ANOS EN HISTORIA DEL ARTE, Optimum Artis, Cenac, San Jose, Costa Rica.
AMSTERDAM INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, Mondial Art Academia, Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
JUNTOS POR EL ARTE, Mondial Art Academia, Club Union, San Jose, Costa Rica.
III EXPOSICION MONDIAL ART ACADEMIA, Mondial Art Academia, Galeria Yar Burba, San Jose, Costa Rica.
FRANCIA EN COLOMBIA, Mondial Art Academia, Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe, Medellin, Colombia.

UNIENDO MUNDOS, Banco de Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica
ARTE SIN FRONTERAS, Optimum Artis, Correos de Costa Rica (Oficinas Centrales) San Jose, Costa Rica.
PASEO DE LOS ARTISTAS, Art Fair Terramall, San Jose, Costa Rica.

2018:
GALERIA ARTE PALMARES 2018, Palmares, Costa Rica.
DESTELLAS EN EL AUROLA, Optimum Artis, Hotel Holiday Inn Aurola, San Jose, Costa Rica.
18e SALON INTERNATIONAL D’ART (SIAC), Marseille, France.
MONDIAL ART ACADEMIA, Galeria Yar Burba, San Jose.
SINTERCAFE, GRANO DE ORO, Hotel Intercontinental, San Jose, Costa Rica.
JUNTOS POR EL ARTE, Mondial Art Academia, Casa Escalante, San Jose, Costa Rica.

2019
UNIDOS POR EL ARTE, Casa de la Cultura, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
19e SALON INTERNATIONAL D’ART (SIAC), Marseille, France.
Santa Ana Country Club, Santa Ana, Costa Rica.
PULPERIAS, Teatro Melico Salazar, San Jose, Costa Rica.
GALERIA TALENTUM, 7mo Aniversario, San Jose, Costa Rica.

2020
AMERICA, UN SOLO PAIS 2, Galeria Malusa, Parque del Plata, Canelones, Uruguay.
UNIDOS POR EL ARTE, Museo de Guanacaste, Liberia, Costa Rica.







AWARDS

2014 Peoples's Choice Award of the ArtisTTable
ART OF WOMEN Exhibition for the painting
“Elements”.


2016 ART FREAKS Peoples’s Choice Award for the
painting “Icarus #1”

2017 Medalla de Bronce en la exposicion FRANCIA EN COLOMBIA por “Bajo Corriente Marina”.