Cati Van Milders

Cati Van Milders is a multi-media artist. After attaining her BFA in Illustration in 1987 at Parsons School of design, she worked as a studio assistant for Willem de Kooning and started her artistic career as a social expressionist. Sketchbook in hand, she incessantly drew people in public places, from which she later created paintings, collages and 3-dimensional pieces.

She has always been fascinated by the 99% of humanity that nobody sees, but everybody recognizes in themselves.

In 1989 she was commissioned to paint a 30 x 20-foot mural oil painting of Times Square with life-size sculptures of 1980s New Yorkers emerging from the painting in Antwerp, Belgium, which remains there today.

Starting in 2003 Cati shifted her attention to her internal world, searching inspiration from within. Through meditation and a therapeutic approach called hypno-introspection she let her impressions, tensions, and emotions express themselves with and through drawings, prints, collages and clay works. Her content became more visceral, abstract, and intuitive. For example, in her clay works, the tactile nature of the medium dictated the organic forms that emerged. This chapter of her work and life has informed the source of unconscious obstructed patterns, and how they can be therapeutically opened and unlocked through art and creative exploration.

Between 2016 and 2018, Cati’s life was interrupted by injuries and surgeries. She continued to use the creative expression as a means to go deeper and overcome the emotional, physical, and existential challenges her temporary physical impediment presented.

Cati is grateful to have her art as a means to be more present and aware to the beauty of life.

“When we tune our inner instrument, we are in harmony with the orchestra of the universe.” – Cati Van Milders