Family Roots: Creativity Across Generations

Every family carries stories.

Some are passed down around the dinner table. Others remain hidden until someone decides to start looking.

My curiosity about my own family history led me to explore our family tree, a journey that eventually brought me to a genealogy day in The Hague. There I learned more about the connections between the Haffmans, Wibaut and Van Gogh family lines, and discovered that I was named after Florentinus Wibaut, the great-uncle of my mother, Wilna Haffmans.

For me, these discoveries were never about famous names.

They were about understanding where I come from.

Growing up, creativity was already a natural part of daily life. Both of my parents were sculptors, and I spent my childhood surrounded by studios, works in progress and conversations about making art. That environment taught me that creativity is built through observation, patience and craftsmanship rather than talent alone.

Researching my family history added another layer to that understanding. It reminded me that every generation leaves something behind: stories, ideas, traditions and ways of seeing the world. We inherit more than names. We inherit curiosity, resilience and the freedom to create something of our own.

Today, my artistic practice follows its own path.

Through the Mona Lisa Project, I explore identity, cultural memory and the evolution of one of the world's most recognisable images.

Through the Earth Keepers Collection, I explore the relationship between people, nature and the quiet qualities that help us navigate everyday life.

Both collections are contemporary.

Both are personal.

Neither tries to recreate the past.

Instead, they build on it.

Looking into my family history did not tell me who to become as an artist.

It simply reminded me that every generation has the opportunity to add a new chapter to a much longer story.

Perhaps that is what creativity really is.

Not repeating what came before.

But continuing the conversation in your own way.