Foreign Familiar

Andrea C. Hoffer foreign familiar

Andrea C. Hoffer

Glare *2009 Egg Tempera on Canvas_61“ x 53,1“

Sweet Home *2015 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_47,25“ x 33“

Oemberg III *2013 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_47,25“ x 33“

Moriah

*2015 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_55“ x 45,25“

Zu Tisch *2011 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_78,7“ x 70,9“

Queens Hall *2009 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_69“ x 175,8“

Karolinger II *2009 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_4,8“ x 78,7“

Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_29,9“ x 22“

Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_33,5“ x 22,9“

The Prayer *2013 Vertraute Fremde *2014

Journey *2014 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_82,7“ x 74,7“

A Trinidad and Tobago Perspective

My first encounter with Andrea was back in June of 2015; a few days prior to the launching of her exhibition Between/Time at Soft Box Gallery, Port of Spain. Upon meeting her I quickly realised that beneath the welcoming and effervescent personality lay a serious artist with a laser-like focus on developing an artistic practise that was engaging and genuinely passionate. Her technique, subject matter and motifs were truly unique. Above all, I believe that Hoffer is the right artist who came to Trinidad and Tobago at the right time. Twenty years ago, when Hoffer arrived here in 1998, this twin-island Caribbean nation was not experiencing an overt Renaissance. Nevertheless, the local art scene was in a subtle state of upheaval as neophyte entrants began to successfully challenge the humdrum status quo that had set the pace here for the previous fifty years. Comforting and tranquil depictions of stereotypical tropical landscapes and elegant natives began to give way to newer avantgarde work that challenged our Trinbagonian identity and dealt with the issues that really bothered us.

Pertinent matters like the politics of corruption, questions of hybrid ethnicities, the stagnation of our art, et cetera, began to occupy a legitimate space in our art galleries, exhibition spaces and intellectual forums. This legitimacy of the more radical forms of visual expression in Trinidad and Tobago was given further credence as the work quickly began to earn the attention of collectors and scholars in both the United States and Europe.

Andrea C. Hoffer entered Trinidad and Tobago against the backdrop of these developments. Here was a European artist, implanting herself in the Caribbean, utilising the age-old egg tempera medium to interrogate the landscape that now enveloped her. The irony here is that Hoffer‘s involvement with the local space was sincere. It was personal. It was real. It was not a clichéd fleeting tryst where a foreign artist comes to the Caribbean, becomes enamoured with the pretty countryside, paints some exotic pictures, then quickly packs up and leaves.

Hoffer, although utilising traditional painting methods, presents unconventional images. The sheer scale of her work is intriguing. The superlative dimensions effectively serve as the first step in shattering the rigid separation between the viewer and the picture plane. The iconography is also recognisable and easy for the viewer to relate to; especially for an individual who grew up in a small Caribbean island.

Shell *2009 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Paper_39,4“ x 27,6“ Table and Chairs *2009 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Paper_39,4“ x 27,6“

PAINTING

A person with such a background will become immediately captivated by the low wooden chairs whose arms are formed by long arcs. Juxtaposed against this familia- rity are the multiple planes of tropical vegetation. Sometimes the flora is treated by the artist to display its typical myriad of intense colours. In other cases the leaves are devoid of their hues, and recede into the background through the use of aerial perspective.

However, it should also be noted that in addition to her formal treatments of the landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, this holder of a Master‘s Degree in Painting from the Art Academy of Dusseldorf has also developed novel spatial relationships that really push the envelope of plein air painting. These innovations are noteworthy; regardless or irrespective of anyone‘s preconceived notions of excellence in art. The simultaneity of being present in both interior and exterior spaces places the viewer of her work in a perpetual state of movement and flux.

One piece that exemplifies such fluidity of perspective is called Past Present (2015). The image contains the aforementioned furniture and vegetation, along with a jacket and tie on a hanger. Against this opulent composition in the far right corner is a partial silhouette and a balloon that appear to be exiting the picture plane in a deliberate, coordinated theatrical manner.

Through conversing with the artist one realises that this piece is profoundly personal and illustrates the passing of her grandfather-in-law, who died on his birthday. The artist also added that this in-law of hers predicted the date of his death; an uncanny affirmation of self-determination that few individuals could ever claim to possess. Reflecting on this occurrence in the artist‘s life, one immediately appreciates the diverse iconography that is presented to the viewer. The daunting spectre of death is treated with a bitter-sweet combination of motifs. The scene is melancholy but it also tinged with glimpses of beauty and enlightenment since the deceased also appeared to remain in control up to the very end.

WEST INDIES

With respect to the issue of control, many critics may find Hoffer to be a perplexing subject. The transience of elements and space presents one conundrum. Nevertheless, I embrace the visual relationships that she continues to apply to the local landscape.

Carib *2015

Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas

45,3“ x 45,3“

The artwork is intensely intimate. Furthermore, as seen in Past Present (2015), the work engages the metaphysical dimensions that also occupy the artist‘s psychological space. As someone who was born and raised in the Caribbean, I am therefore reassured that Hoffer‘s depictions of our region emanate from deep within her psyche. They are not mere whimsical illustrations of superficial exoticism.

Having become wellacquainted with Andrea‘s masterpieces from three years ago, her most recent efforts present even more enlightenment. Pieces of 2018 such as Carib and Silent Companion offer a painterly s ynecdoche in which there is an immediate dialogue between the part and the whole. In the first piece, through her now wellestablished style of painting, the sign advertising the local beer is isolated yet instantly relatable to the surrounding environment: the rickety structure that forms the bar, the street corner and so on. To someone from Trinidad and Tobago this scene is not abstract. It is in fact a form of homely verisimilitude. In addition to the iconography, Carib invokes the unique odours, perpetual murmur and stifling heat that one would usually experience in a rural drinking establishment down here.

IMAGES

Past Present *2015 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_65“ x 110“

In the latter work, the focus on the tree as a singularity instantly compels the viewer to interrogate the subject and question exactly how this element fits in with both its implied landscape in addition to the wider corpus of Hoffer‘s previous paintings.

I continue to insist that Andrea C. Hoffer‘s work effectively straddles both the European and Caribban diasporas. The roots that she has firmly established in Tobago affirm that this island is not merely her muse. Tobago unquestionably constitutes an integral element of Hoffer‘s personal life; but the sister island of Trinidad also inspires her to grow and develop as an artist, perpetually modifying her techniques to continually challenge audiences both locally and abroad.

Her boundless nature, which is also fused with her overwhelming talent and well-honed skill ensure that her work will not only successfully evolve, but it will also remain unrepentantly dynamic and impossible to be placed into any exact genre or style of painting.

Andrea C. Hoffer also transcends any geographical boundaries or limitations. Indeed, she is German and German-trained, but the work also remains indigenous to Trinidad and Tobago. As an artist she has made a profound and indelible impression on the landscape of this twin-island nation. The images are a valid and truthful representation of our scenery. Nevertheless, they do not only represent what is seen in Trinidad and Tobago. The wide and diverse gamut of work also succeeds in imparting the infinite array of feelings that one may experience down here: the splendour, the awe, the seductive fear of the unknown and the distinctive inexplicability that is Trinidad and Tobago.

David Cave Teacher

Lecturer (University of the West Indies, DCFA)

Freelance Writer (Features, Art History & Criticism)

B.A. (Honours) Visual Arts & Spanish - University of Western Ontario, London, Canada

M.Phil. Cultural Studies - University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad

Interior *2016 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Paper_32“ x 38“

Tobago *2016

Landscape

Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Paper_38“ x 32“

ON THE MARGINS OF SPACE

Neue Galerie Gladbeck *2011

Anna liebt...*2011 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_78,7“ x 98,4“

Silent Companions *2017 Egg Tempera on Canvas_82,7“ x 74,8“

Silent Companions *2017 Egg Tempera on Canvas_82,7“ x 78,7“

Two Palm Trees *2015 Egg Tempera on Canvas_11,8“ x 11,8“ Palm Trees and Trumpet Tree II *2015 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_13,8“ x 17,7“ Dawn II *2015 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_11,8“ x 11,8“

Heilige Familie im Wohnzimmer *2011 Egg Tempera and Acrylic on Canvas_66,9“ x 55,1“

VITA

ANDREA C. HOFFER M.F.A.

Andrea C. Hoffer born in Kirchhellen, Germany 1964 has been living and working between Düsseldorf, Germany and Tobago W.I. since 1998.

Andrea C. Hoffer studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf, Germany, where she graduated with her masters in Fine Art as student of Prof. A.R. Penck.

Hoffer also holds an undergraduate degree in Costume and Stage Design from the Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf as a student of Prof. Karl Kneidl.

Andrea C. Hoffer is represented by galleries in Germany and has exhibited extensively in Europe and Trinidad, W.I. participating in both solo and group exhibitions since 1994. Her works are held in respected public and private collections world wide.