Baars is known for her unique collage technique, evolving from analog to digital methods. She meticulously blends her own photography with diverse inspirations, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman sculptures to Victorian jewelry, early photography, and classical African art, particularly in its depiction of black women. The women seen in her final artworks are not real individuals but intricate digital collages. Using a unique technique, Baars 'paints with photography' and 'sculpts with fragments of photographic material,' constructing these portraits from scratch by layering small fragments of her images. This deeply personal and singular method is executed independently, without the use of image editors, assistants, or artificial intelligence.

Ingrid was born in 1969 and she lives and works in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Biography
Ingrid Baars graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam in 1992. After a successful two-decade career as an illustrator and photographer, during which she also exhibited her personal work, Baars fully committed to her artistic practice in 2010. Her work has since been showcased in numerous international exhibitions.

Baars is known for her unique collage technique, evolving from analog to digital methods. She meticulously blends her own photography with diverse inspirations, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman sculptures to Victorian jewelry, early photography, and classical African art, particularly in its depiction of black women. The women seen in her final artworks are not real individuals but intricate digital collages. Using a unique technique, Baars ‘paints with photography’ and ‘sculpts with fragments of photographic material,’ constructing these portraits from scratch by layering small fragments of her images. This deeply personal and singular method is executed independently, without the use of image editors, assistants, or artificial intelligence.

Thirteen years ago, Ingrid Baars embarked on a series of works inspired by classical African art, particularly masks and sculptures, and the portrayal of black women. Initially, her approach was driven by a deep aesthetic fascination, as she was captivated by the boundless artistic freedom in classical African art’s depiction of the human form. Additionally, she found the sculptural and distinctly defined features of black women to be particularly aesthetically compelling.

Over time, a social dimension emerged in her work. Positive and often emotionally charged feedback from black women – and occasionally men – made Baars increasingly aware of her art’s impact. Many expressed their appreciation for her portrayal of women, especially in her ‘Black Madonna’ portraits, celebrating their beauty. Women shared how her art elevated their confidence, depicting them and their daughters as both vulnerable and resilient, strong and beautiful.

Solo exhibitions
2023 NYCH Gallery, Chicago, US
2023 Gallery Untitled, North Sea Jazz Art, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2022 Gallery Untitled, North Sea Yazz Art, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2022 Gallery Untitled, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2020 NYCH Gallery, Chicago, US
2019 Studio Ingrid Baars, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2018 Kerchache/Pivaty, Paris, France
2018 Gallery Montagut, Barcelona, Spain
2016 Rademakers Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2013 Gallery Fine Art Studio, L’Afrique c’est Chic, Portraits, Brussels, Belgium
2013 Rademakers Gallery, L’Afrique Part 2, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2013 Gallery Fine Art Studio, Impressions d’Afrique, Brussels, Belgium
2012 Rademakers Gallery, ‘L’Afrique C’est Chic’, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2012 Gallery Fine Art Studio, ‘L’Afrique C’est Chic’, Brussels, BelgiumRush
2010 V!p’s Gallery, solo show ‘ScreenSirenArtistLover’, Rotterdam Netherlands
2010 Tartuca Gallery, solo show ‘Ingrid Baars’, Maastricht, Netherlands
2009 V!p’s Gallery, ‘ScreenSirenArtistLover’, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2008 Club Sense (by V!P’s Gallery), ‘Ingrid Baars’, Paris, France
2007 V!p’s Gallery, ‘Inside/Outside’, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2006 Scream Gallery, ‘GLAM’, London, UK
2005 V!p’s Gallery, ‘Ingrid Baars’, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2003 V!p’s Gallery, ‘About Face’, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2003 Blow Up Gallery, ‘Faced’, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2002 V!p’s Gallery, ‘Passion Play’, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Group exhibitions
2024 Gallery Untitled, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2024 Gallery Untitled, North Sea Jazz Art, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2022 Størpunkt, Munich, Germany
2019 Rijksmuseum Twenthe, The Naked Truth, Enschede, Netherlands
2019 Joseph Gross Gallery, Crystal Streets Event, LA, US
2019 Montagut Gallery, Sitges, Spain
2018 Kerchache/Pivaty, Myconian collection art show, Mykonos, Greece
2017 ArtLeadHer, Lawrence Alkin Gallery, London, UK
2017 Fayetteville Underground, Fayetteville, Arkansas, US
2017 ArtLeadHer, Kingwoman, Pen and Brush, NY, US
2016 Laeremans Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2016 ArtLeadHer, Joseph Gross Gallery, NY, US
2015 Ozwald Boateng, London, UK
2014 Bruneaf, Brussels, Belgium
2013 Agbessi Contemporary Art, Parcours des Mondes, Paris, France
2013 Alcazar, Parcours des Mondes, Paris, France
2013 Galerie Vallois, Le choix de Valentine Plisnier, Paris, France
2011 Rademakers Gallery, ARTI, The Hague, Netherlands
2011 RushArts Gallery, ‘Neekid Black Gurls’, NY, US
2010 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2009 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2008 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2007 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2006 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2005 BOZAR Museum, ‘Icons’, Brussels, Belgium
2005 Gallery Blow Up, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2005 Moraira Gallery, ‘Exposition de primavera’, Alicante, Spain
2005 Isabel Bilbao Gallery, Javea-Alicante, Spain
2005 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2004 Blow Up Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2004 Solo Gadiot e Mas Gallery, ’Landscapes’, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2004 Isabel Bilbao Gallery, ‘Artemania’, Javea-Alicante, Spain
2004 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2003 V!p’s Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2002 Kunsthal, ‘Terugblik ’99-89’, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Art fairs
2024 ARTITLEDcontemporary, PAN Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2018 Photo Beijing 2018, Image – Time, Beijing
2018 Kerchache/Pivaty, FotoFever, Paris, France
2018 Joseph Gross Gallery, The Seattle Art Market Fair, Seattle, US
2016 Rademakers Gallery, Context Art Fair, NY, US
2016 Gallery Untitled, KunstRai, Netherlands
2016 Rademakers Gallery, Affordable Art Fair, Hamburg, Germany
2016 Azart Gallery, Art Basel Miami Beach (Scope), US
2015 Christie’s Multiplied Art Fair, London, UK
2014 Whitford Fine Art, BRAFA, Brussels, London,UK
2014 Christie’s Multiplied Art Fair, London, UK
2013 Whitford Fine Art, BRAFA, Brussels, Belgium
2013 Whitford Fine Art, Palm Beach Art Fair, Palm Beach, US
2012 Rademakers Gallery, KunstRai, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2012 Rademakers Gallery, PAN Art Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2012 Rademakers Gallery, group show ARTI, The Hague, Netherlands
2011 Photo Biennale, Naarden, Netherlands
2011 Rademakers Gallery, Affordable Art Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2011 Rademakers Gallery, Millionaire Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2011 Rademakers Gallery, Realism Art Fair, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2011 Whitford Gallery, London Art Fair, London, UK
2011 Whitford Gallery, BRAFA, Brussels, London UK
2005 Isabel Bilbao Gallery, Art Valencia Fair, Valencia, Spain
2004 V!p’s Gallery, Lineart, Gent, Belgium