BarBara Hanlo (Eindhoven 1957)

PEP (Purple Earth Productions) is an independent production company of BarBara Hanlo, visual artist and filmmaker who lives and works in Amsterdam and produces her own films and projects.

Hanlo has realized a number of films and various projects in recent years. Dutch journalist, Hanneke Groenteman wrote about the film: "As a fly drawn to the flame": "It is a small miracle that someone can create something so beautiful."

Since 1993, all of her films have had their world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, which
has subsequently been shown at film festivals in the Netherlands and abroad.1  Hanlo received grants for making her films from, the Dutch Film Fund, ThuisKopie Fund, Province of North Holland.

In her essayistic films, she explores themes close to home, often rooted in her own family history. Like her films, her photographic works are experimental and poetic, marked by a distinctive visual language. With support from grants including those from the Fonds BKVB (Mondriaan Fund), she developed her specific photographic style. Her work engages with universal questions of life, memory, and the inevitable passage of time.

Other activities
In collaboration with other artists she realized a number of installations and projects, including the installation IN EEN OGENBLIK (IN A MOMENT) with Jeroen Kee, at puntWG in Amsterdam, with Anne-Marie van Sprang the video installation SCULPTUUR, with radio maker Laura Stek 'Thank God at least  I'm free' a VPRO OVT Radio documentary.

Hanlo has experience in advising and organizing art projects. She advised for the AFK (Amsterdams Fonds voor de kunst2 ) and the Stimuleringsfonds (Media fund3 ). She organized art events for the artist initiative AtelierWG, Amsterdam, of which she was chair from 2010-2018 and set up puntWG (art project space) and airWG (Artist in residence) together with the board and since 1999 she has been chair of the Jan Hanlo Essay Prize a biennial literary prize for more than 20 years.

Was part of the jury Northern Film Festival Leeuwarden. And was involved as an observer at the Maurits BInger Fiim Institute Amsterdam

In the context of cultural education, she developed together with Elsbeth Horneman the project Collection of a primary school, for which the book publication 'My most beautiful / My ugliest' was chosen as one of the "Best Dutch Book Designs".

As a teacher and guest lecturer she taught at various art academies (KABK The Hague, HKU Utrecht, Gerrit Rietveld Academy Amsterdam, Academy for Theater and Dance Amsterdam)

Exhibitions - selection

Films