Famke van Wijk
Westfriesgasthuis 2

The Racka sheep on the hill is making sure that the ox arrives at the banks safely. According to Van Wijk, the installation has various meanings. The ox and the sheep have a symbolic significance that harks back to religious traditions. The sheep is a Racka sheep, a breed that is being threatened with extinction. This is also the case with the concept of compassion which is being represented here. In Ancient Greek ‘Racka’ means ‘contempt’ and ‘taunting’. Jesus, the 'Lamb of God', was treated with contempt and ridiculed. He endured this in order to save people. This message is symbolized in the relief patterns that encircle the horns of the ox, just like the patterns on a classical column in which people are reaching out to one another. "Christ has been called a Healer???, says Famke van Wijk. “In this way, the image has become an hommage to the doctors and nurses while, at the same time, a reminder to them of their promise to do their best for their fellow people.??? The artist, Famke van Wijk (32) who is from The Hague, studied at the AKI Academie voor Beeldende Kunst & Vormgeving (AKI Academy of Visual Arts and Design) in Enschede. She continued her training in Nice, Amsterdam en Delphi.
Her work is influenced by the writings of Church Fathers, scholars, philosophers, esoteric writers and the Bible. Her Christian faith remains the driving force and, in her images, she alludes to the separation between the material and the immaterial.