Eljo Agenbach
visual artist
About
Eljo Agenbach is a multidisciplinary artist from Naarm/Melbourne, based in The Netherlands, whose practice hinges on her extensive training as a classical musician. She is currently undertaking a Bachelor in historical clarinet at The Royal Conservatoire, The Hague, where she is actively involved in many interdisciplinary projects.Notable collaborations include commissions from West Australian choral group, Voyces, Australian clarinettist Lloyd Van’t Hoff, as well as festival appearances in the Brisbane Music Festival and Propel Youth Arts.Eljo has a special interest in interdisciplinary collaboration, working with musicians to explore the limitless possibilities which transpire through thoughtful collaboration. Her visual art style draws on experiences with music-related synesthesia and is influenced by abstract impressionism, playing with colour and light in bringing visions to life.
Hell
from Orpheus, Brisbane Music Festival
2022
Temple 4
from Orpheus, Brisbane Music Festival
2024
Temple 3
from Orpheus, Brisbane Music Festival
2024
bow to the earth
2025
when did the light leave?
2020
Doc
Digital sketch, 2020
commissioned by Voyces
waters of peace
2020
chaos, rain, cleansing
2021
Doomscroll Dialogues
Eljo Agenbach | Visual artist
Jet Kye Chong | Percussionist and live electronics
To doomscroll, distract, or disconnect? Every day we face a torrential coverage of the world’s most significant crises and issues, just one swipe away from an infinite supply of mindlessly scrollable content.Doomscroll Dialogues is a live visual art and music improvisatory experience that reflects Duo Mimicri’s personal journeys navigating this condition. In this multi-disciplinary improvisation, Eljo Agenbach and Jet Kye Chong respond to prompts from our real-world doomscrolling experiences, and to each other, through digital painting, percussion and electronics, sharing their way of discovering, discussing and decompressing this emotional rollercoaster that we all know too well.The project was premiered on April 10th, 2024, at The Blue Room theatre in Perth, Western Australia, as part of the Propel Youth Arts Kickstart Festival.
Orpheus (2022/24/25)
Captivating imagery and vivid new music combine in a bold retelling of the story of Orpheus and his journeying through the underworld. Themes of love, loss, fate and redemption, are woven into a hypnotic visual and sonic tapestry.Eljo Agenbach | Visual Artist
Alex Raineri | Piano & ConceptMany artists in the last few centuries have portrayed Orpheus and Eurydice’s story. What makes this particular show so special is that not only one, but five artists have come together to create a retelling in a way that has never been done before. Alex Raineri masterfully performs the works of Samantha Wolf, Natalie Nicolas and Jane Sheldon, combining with captivating imagery to tell the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice.In the 2024 edition, Alex Raineri composed four of his own interludes, 'Temples in your Hearing' which are interspersed between the three main movements of the piece. The 2025 version features the three original compositions by Samantha Wolf, Natalie Nicolas and Jane Sheldon in a film only format.The visual imagery draws inspiration from Baroque and impressionist oil paintings, with Rainer Maria Rilke’s “Sonnets to Orpheus” serving as conceptual and philosophical inspiration.There is a mix of moving and still images, featuring a returning “golden thread” motif - Fate - twisting its way through the themes of love, loss, barter, and gain between Orpheus, Eurydice, and the Devil.© Eljo Agenbach 2025
Orpheus (2022/24/25)
Temples in your hearing: 4) here beginning is often closing and ending begins
Temples in your hearing: 3) fingers figuring ancient sorrows
Review of Orpheus' 2025 iteration here"...The projections feel painterly, with a palette and gestural touch reminiscent of J. M. W. Turner. Swirls that recall clouds, water, mist and smoke move across the screen, suggestive enough that one might glimpse the River Styx, but abstract enough that any literal reading remains uncertain. This careful refusal to illustrate the narrative too directly keeps the work open and active."
bow to the earth
“bow to the earth” is a composition written by Eljo, for 5-key clarinet, audio track and visuals. Conceptually, the work is inspired by Mary Oliver’s poem “The Moth, The Mountain, The Rivers,” and explores themes of beginnings, echoes, melancholy.The piece was premiered on 16 October 2025, as part of the Crossing Bridges Symposium at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag. This symposium explored, under the theme "Historical Principles – New Voices", how today’s composers draw on historical techniques—not as a nostalgic gesture, but as a source of creative energy. What can early music performers learn from living composers? And how do improvisation and historical awareness shape today’s music-making?
Contact
For all inquiries, please use the form below to get in touch.
Eljo is currently accepting visual art commissions and print requests.