Lex: “From an early age, I have always been surrounded by a lot of art, antiques and other beautiful objects. I grew up with that and I really enjoy the artworks that I have collected myself over the years. In the category ‘I go to bed with it and wake up with it’, I thought it would be nice to highlight one specific work. “The Helping Hand” is hung in my bedroom, which means that it’s part of the view from my bed. Definitely not a bad way of waking up!

‘I go to bed with art and get up with it!’

The work radiates positivity and energy for me. We can all use a bit of that in this day and age. In addition, it gives me a feeling of being supported, in the sense that we will hopefully be able to leave COVID-19 behind us in time and go back to daily life, in a nicer and more pleasant way. I know Ies Schute personally and her story behind this artwork immediately appealed to me. It is drawn and painted by hand and shows a series of statues of the Virgin Mary. This means that it’s a unique piece, since each print is different. The idea for making this print arose at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. According to her, the print is intended to provide comfort and reflection during difficult times. She said that “especially now, everyone is in need of a helping hand”.