Photo: Jan de Bruin
Samantha Thole (1982, Utrecht)
She/Her
Lives and works in Rotterdam, The Netherlands
EDUCATION
2010-2012 Master of Fine Arts, Sandberg Instituut, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
TUTOR Raimundas Malašauskas
THESIS How much is nothing? The dematerialization of the art object
SUPERVISOR dr. J. (Jeroen) Boomgaard, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2002-2008 Bachelor of Fine Arts with honours, HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2001-2002 Propedeuse, first-degree teaching qualification Visual Arts and Design, HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, The Netherlands
CURRENT
2024 Lecturer at the Ceramics Department, Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
2023-present Member ICOM Workgroup Intangible Heritage
2022-present TIMM X Thole, i.c.w. TIMM Ceramic Studio
2022-present NEW samanthathole.com by Arteomnium
2022-present Board Cool Clay Collective, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2021-heden Research 3D-digitalization cultural heritage, i.c.w. digital engineer Luca Sabbatini, Horizon Mash, Italy
2020-present Founding member The We_are_Vessels- collective, i.c.w. Bas Hendrikx (curator KANAL Centre Pompidou Brussel) and Nico Thöne (European Ceramic Workcentre). Members include: Stéphanie Baechler (CH/NL), Lori Ballage (FR/NO), Jin Cho Hyang (KR/USA), Jelle Feringa (NL), David Jones (UK), Erno Langenberg (NL), Pierluigi Pompei (IT/NL), Alison Safford (USA), Ting Ju Shao (TW), Meekyoung Shin (KR/UK), Tanja Smeets (NL), Jonas Vansteenkiste (BE), Robin Vermeersch. We_are_vessels is supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL
EXHIBITIONS selection
UPCOMING
2025
We_are_vessels i.c.w. Lori Ballage, VISP, Bergen, Norway
2024
100 years of the Rietveld Schröder House, monumental vases (terra sigillata on terracotta) inspired by the De Stijl movement and the history of this UNESCO icon, Utrecht
The Bay of Naples; a Campanian melting pot
– Spring/summer: National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, The Netherlands
– Autumn/winter: the Museo Archicologico dellántica Capua e Mitreo, Capua, Italy
PAST
2024
Paestum. City of Goddesses, National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden
Rotterdam Art Week, Gustoweg 45, Rotterdam
2023
De Aanschouw at TENT, Platform For Contemporary Art, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Fairy tales, myths and stories, Galerie Handwerk, Munich, Germany
We_are_vessels Talks, Museum for Architecture, Design and Digital Culture, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
We_are_vessels, Museum for Architecture, Design and Digital Culture, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Cyprus: A Dynamic Island, National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, The Netherlands
2019
Test Case XIX, curator Ranti Tjan, European Ceramic Workcentre, Oisterwijk, The Netherlands
Body Issue, curator Yelena Myshko, Brigant, Arnhem, The Netherlands
2018
Blossom, curator Bas Hendrikx, Garage Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Secret Gardens, Garage Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2017
Peepshow, Foundation KunstWerkt, Schiedam, The Netherlands
Hemisfeer, WTC Rotterdam Art Gallery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Gendered Rietveld Schröderhuis, curator Bas Hedrikx, Studio of Immediate Spaces, Utrecht, The Netherlands
2016
The World and Me (…) Muliebrity, curator Gilbert van Drunen, de Aanschouw, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Franz Müller’s Wire Spring by Kurt Schwitters, curator Roi Alter, WORM, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2015
Firing through Humanity, curator Joep van Lieshout, AVL Mundo, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
WOW, Women of the World Foundation, London, United Kingdom
The One Minutes on Tour, curator Jos Houweling, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China
The Last Brucennial, the Bruce High Quality Foundation, New York, USA
Pictura Performance Festival, Teekengenootschap Pictura, Dordrecht, The Netherlands
8bit, Kingsgate Gallery, i.c.w. Mette Sterre, curator Tom Milnes, London, United Kingdom
2014
Object is Subject, Route du Nord, curator Kiki Petratou, Roodkapje, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
UNPERFORMING, i.c.w. Mette Sterre, curator Louise Ashcroft, Departure Foundation, London, United Kingdom
Ultra Feminism, curator Martina Margini, Roodkapje, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Final Presentation, curator Ranti Tjan, European Ceramic Workcentre, Den Bosch, The Netherlands
COLLECTIONS selection
Ontvangst van de Klassieke Oudheid, het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden
– Breast-vase Cyprus I Galatea, accession number Z 2020/5.1
– Breast-vase Cyprus II Octopus, accession number Z 2020/5.2
Het Cyprus Museum, Nicosia, Cyprus
Europees Keramisch Werkcentrum, Oisterwijk
Various national and international private collections
ARTIST IN RESIDENCE & RESEARCH selection
2024 The Digital Artist Residency i.c.w. We_are_vessels, London, United Kingdom
2023 Nominee Mingler Scholarship, The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, nominator: Prof. dr. R.B. Halbertsma
2022 Research Grant START_Vessel, i.c.w. Nico Thöne (European Ceramic Workcentre), Creative Industries Fund, The Netherlands
2021 Nominee Artist-in-Residence Fellowship, NIAS and the The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, nominator: prof. dr. C.J.M. (Kitty) Zijlmans
2015 The Digital Artist Residency by Samantha Thole, London, United Kingdom
2011, 2013, 2019 Residency sundaymorning@ekwc, Europees Keramisch Werkcentrum, Oisterwijk & Den Bosch
*2011&2013 EKWC-residencies funded by the Mondriaan Fund
*2019 European Ceramic Workcentre-residency by invitation of the director Ranti Tjan
*For impression of 2019 EKWC-residency; see the article “Atelier Samantha Thole” by Najiba Brakkee
EDUCATIONAL ENGAGEMENTS selection
2020-present Guest lecturer, (BA) Greek and Latin Language and Culture, Leiden University, Leiden
2020-present Guest lecturer, Cambridge School of Weston, Boston, USA
2019-present Guest lecturer, (BA) Ceramics Department, Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam
2017-2018 Guest lecturer, (MA) Studio of Immediate Spaces, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam
2013-2015 Guest lecturer, (MA) Material Utopias, Sandberg Institute, Amsterdam
MUSEUM ENGAGEMENTS selection
2023-present Member ICOM Workgroup Intangible Heritage
2023-present The secretary of the Works Council Centraal Museum, Utrecht
2023-present Founding member Museum Union, i.c.w. Bertine Centen, Kröller-Müller Museum, Otterlo
2016-heden Founding member Dutch National Platform of Museum Works committees
2016-2023 Chairperson Works Council, Centraal Museum, Utrecht
2013-heden Freelance Museum Educator, educational tools; enquiry-based learning, visual thinking strategies and unconscious bias-training, Centraal Museum (Utrecht) and Museum for Architecture, Design and Digital Culture (Rotterdam)
2013-2016 Member of the Works Council, Centraal Museum
2008-present Tour guide, Rietveld Schöderhuis, UNESCO, Utrecht
VARIOUS selection
2024 PUBLICATION We_are_vessels, Taiwan Fine Art Magazine
2022 GRANT We_are_vessels, Creative Industries Fund
2022 Art Rotterdam VIP Programma, Rotterdam
2022 SPONSOR Digital Fabrication Solutions MAKERPOINT, Rotterdam
2022 SPONSOR Atelier Helder Informatiearchitecten, Rotterdam
2022 Artistic alliances; The Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Leiden), Natural History Museum (Rotterdam) and Musée du Pays Châtillonnais (Châtillon-sur-Seine, France)
2021 PUBLICATION Samantha Thole, Taiwan Fine Art Magazine
2021 PUBLICATION Neue Keramik
2019 PUBLICATION Trendbeheer
2016 COMMISIONED WORK European Ceramic Workcentre