Soulie - Louise

I am a maker and artist based in Antwerp working with print, fibres and repair. I am continually drawn to experimenting with other tactile mediums, letting them weave into my artistic interests. Where those intertwine, new inspiration often takes shape.

My practice begins in material: paper, thread, ink, fragments. My work is rooted in repetition and care. There’s a quiet attention in what I make, not towards perfection, but towards presence. Towards what can be held, mended or simply allowed to exist. 

What emerges are tactile objects of care. Pieces that carry time, attention and a certain quiet.

This process reflects something deeply personal. Through making I have slowly been creating space for myself to exist as I am, in a world that has not always made room for me. The way I hold my materials mirrors the way I try to hold myself: with patience, softness and care. Creating has helped me step out of hiding. Like my work, I am learning to simply allow myself to exist and to celebrate what lies within.

Much of my work is tied to the body. Its rhythms, its limits, its need for rest and gentleness. I don’t work despite that, but from within it. This practice began as a confrontation with my own body and disability. Through creating, I have slowly been learning to trust that body again and to move in conversation with it rather than against it. This ongoing process has shaped both my artistic practice and my engagement with disability advocacy.

Alongside my own practice, I hold space for others to create. Not through instruction or outcome, but by making room for each person to move at their own pace. I am curious about what can emerge in these shared moments of making, when attention softens and the process becomes something we inhabit together. These moments are about access, slowness, and what it means to create and exist beyond normative expectations.

Areas of practice

  • I am passionate about linography because of the tactility of the medium and the repetitive rituals connected to printmaking in general. Small editions of prints can be found in my print gallery and are available at markets and exhibitions. 

  • Artistic experimentation and crossovers between print, fibres, ceramics and spatial work are a core part of my practice and nurture my connection with myself and the world around me. Interaction and collaboration with community or viewers and shared inhabiting of artwork are important components of my search to reclaiming my own voice. I try to exhibit work at least once a year to stay in the momentum of vulnerability towards the ‘outside world’.

  • Everything I undertake is somehow connected to community and connection. In a world that moves ten times too fast for my nervous system, I want to slow and scale down. I will always want to create safe spaces for people who share my vulnerability, for fellow neurodivergent, queer or disabled people looking for creativity and soft connection. I’ve spent the past years creating workshops for vulnerable or disabled youth and have found a home at BarVIZart in Wilrijk, contributing to their projects and exhibitions. Those spaces are a true representation of community to me and I would not stand where I am today without them.