shani leseman

Shani Leseman

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Contact or overview available works:
info@shanileseman.nl

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Painting
Ceramics & Glass
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Screening Bericht van de Duif during Dressing Characters at Das Leben am Haverkamp
The costumes were made by Dewi Bekker and Anouk van Klaveren from Das Leben am Haverkamp
The video is a collaboration with feral pigeons living in The Hague and Rotterdam, Norbert Storm and GC Heemskerk

During my residency at Het Resort I was invited to explore the magial worlds of game store De Purperen Draak. They not only sell games, but also organise evenings to play games, host tournaments and even a larp summer camp. An unusual exhibition space where game enthusiasts shop and hang out. I made a stained glass work based on the Alpha playtest card Sinkhole from Magic The Gathering. It is now installed in the beautiful cabinet in the store in Groningen. Thanks to Jacob from Glasatelier Bonder who guided me through this humbling process of learning how to make stained glass!
Pictures: Hanne van der Velde

Coming winter the Rembrandthuis will be my (open) studio during a residency together with Marije Gertenbach 🧙
I’ll be perfecting some of my paint recipes, brew new ones and try some monotype experiments ive been wanting to do :))

Foto Aad Hoogendoorn for Rembrandt Open Studio 2026, Museum Rembrandthuis, Amsterdam

For Het Resort S09 E02 I was invited together with Thijs Jaeger and Mathias Mu to dive into the world of game store De Purperen Draak in Groningen. The residency resulted in a stained glass work, two figures wearing capes and a new Hi Jack Publication.

Pictures: Hanne van der Velde

Tekst: Elles Hesseling

Wat als de magie niet ophoudt wanneer het spel eindigt? Geïnspireerd door Magic: The Gathering, LARP en andere spelwerelden onderzoekt Shani Leseman hoe objecten betekenis, waarde en kracht krijgen door de verhalen, regels en rituelen die we eraan verbinden. Een kaart kan kracht bezitten binnen een spel, een amulet bescherming bieden en een verzamelobject door zeldzaamheid waardevol worden. Waar versmelten fantasie en werkelijkheid?

Ook de twee figuren met capes onderzoeken de overgang tussen spel en werkelijkheid. Ze vormen materiaal-experimenten waarin ze verkent hoe kleding, objecten en rituelen een gevoel van bescherming of versterking kunnen oproepen. Talismans, bedels en bundeltjes salie brengen de magie van het Magic-spel samen met beschermingsrituelen uit onze eigen werkelijkheid. Wat gebeurt er wanneer zulke objecten buiten het spel worden gedragen? Kunnen ze daar ook als talismans worden ervaren?

Screening Dogs in Paradise and launch of zines Dogs in Paradise #1 & #2 with Hi, Jack! Publishing
at Temp, Antwep curated by Wumen Ghua

Collaboration with GC Heemskerk & the dogs and dogs spirits of Curaçao. Thanks to Curacao Animal Rights Foundation & Stefan Animal Rescue 🥰

The result of our residency at het Resort in Groningen will be on show at game shop Purperen Draak, opening 30th of october.

For Analysis Paralysis, Shani Leseman, Thijs Jaeger and Mathias Mu immersed themselves in the culture surrounding board games, card games and role-playing games. Especially for Purperen Draak, they created new artworks exploring the rituals, objects, stories, and worlds that emerge from this culture. What happens when a game object takes on meaning beyond the game itself? When does a miniature become a character, a card a valuable object, or an instrument a means of bringing new stories to life?

‘Dogs in Paradise’
a result from a visit to Curacao with my friend GC Heemskerk.
This video is about the dogs and dog spirits of Curacao, about who has the right to roam the streets, the (magical) powers of dogs and their (future) relationships with humans. 🐲🪺
Supported by Stroom Den Haag

Parrot Witch, 90 x 120 cm, monotype with earth pigments and synthetic pigments, acrylic paint and oilpastel on satin woven cotton

on show at Plucking the Broom, No Limits! Art Castle

Bodies of Water
Mural with earth pigments, drawings with plant inks and photocopies from witches’ zines

in Buitenplaats Kasteel Wijlre
Photos Peter Cox
assisted by GC Heemskerk

Showing a new monotype painting and driftwood collage works in Plucking the Broom
at No Limits! Art Castle with fellow witches 🕯️🐦‍🔥
The driftwood pieces I got from Stefan when I was volunteering at his rescue center on Curacao. Having a bond with another animal, a familiar, was enough to be interpreted as evidence of magical practices and thereby to be accused of witchcraft. To form a bond with other species asks to pay attention to a world that does not exist solely on human terms, to be in touch with one’s surrounding, and that is the basis of many practices of magic and modern witchcraft alike. On the driftwoods are pictures of Goofy, Gail, Sambo, Charlie and Hugo and fragments of several texts on magic and witchcraft 👁️‍🗨️🗯️ Some of them are also collaborations with GC. And all of these works are for sale in the gallery of No Limits between 200-250€, my % will go directly to Stefan’s rescue center <3
The collaged texts are from: 
Water and Dreams - Gaston Bachelard Apocalyptic Witchcraft - Peter Grey
Wikipedia on Familiars
History of Magic - Chris Godsen
The Women’s encyclopedia of Symbols and Sacred Objects - Barbara Walker
Energy Magic - Silvia Hartmann