Aucke Paulusma: Colour, Chronic Illness and the Art of Living
In conversation with Marie Claire van Schooten, from the Rembrandt Residency in India to SITE Jodhpur 2027.
Two Story presents artist Aucke Paulusma in conversation with curator Marie Claire van Schooten on 13 September 2026 in Amsterdam. The conversation explores Paulusma’s evolving relationship with colour, lived experience and India, following his recent participation in the Rembrandt Residency in Jodhpur.
Paulusma’s expressive paintings move between figuration and abstraction, using intense colour, fragmented forms and layered imagery to explore the body, vulnerability, resilience and care. His experience of living with Type 1 diabetes forms an important part of this practice, while his work extends beyond autobiography to consider shared experiences of illness and embodiment.
During the Rembrandt Residency in India, Paulusma immersed himself in the colours, architecture and rhythms of Jodhpur. The experience opened new directions within his painting, bringing personal experience into dialogue with the visual and cultural landscape of India. His ongoing engagement with Jodhpur will continue in early 2027, when Paulusma will participate in SITE Jodhpur, curated by Ranjit Hoskote.
In conversation with Marie Claire van Schooten, Paulusma will reflect on this development in his practice, the role of colour in his work, and how encounters between different cultural contexts can generate new ways of seeing and making.
Pratical information
Date: Sunday, 13 September 2026, Time: 15:30–17:30, Location: Two Story, Amsterdam, Address: Singel 395 H, 1012 WN, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The conversation begins at 16:00, followed by a short Q&A and drinks.
Aucke Paulusma
Aucke Paulusma is a painter based in Amsterdam. His work is rooted in lived experience, exploring the relationship between health, the body and everyday life. Through expressive, colourful paintings that move between figuration and abstraction, he reflects on vulnerability, resilience, intimacy, memory and care. While his work often begins with personal experience, he seeks to create images that speak to universal emotions and shared human experiences. Paulusma holds a BA in Art History from the University of Amsterdam and a Research MA in Curating Arts & Cultures from the University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam and in private collections in the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Marie Claire van Schooten
Marie Claire van Schooten is a curator and cultural bridge builder with over three decades of experience connecting artistic and cultural practices between India and Europe. She is the founder of the Swapna Foundation and works extensively across the contemporary Indian art and cultural landscape.
Two Story
Two Story is an Amsterdam-based platform for contemporary art and cultural exchange, presenting exhibitions, conversations and projects that bring artists and ideas into dialogue across different contexts.