Art
My art brings you in connection with people.
People who (seem to) be, live, believe or do differently.
People from different cultures and countries.
The artpieces let you discover the lives of new people, worlds and cultures.
They invite you to reflect (often through mirrors) and to discover similarities.
In what makes us, humans, human.
In that what connects you with the other person.
mirrorportrait on goatskin applied on wooden panel
black wooden frame
The headpiece worn bij this Himba woman is a symbol of the fact that she is married. It is made of goatskin.
It defines her identity as a married, Himba woman.
The Himba people are proud of their culture and traditions, one of which is their dress. Himba women wear skirts made of goatskin, no top, but their chest is decorated by handmade jewellery. Also typical for Himba culture is the fact they use red ochre to cover their skin, which gives them protection from the sun and insects.
When looking at this Himba woman in the mirror, you will find yourself in her world.
There is probably a lot that makes you or your life very different from that of this woman. Still there are probably also commonalities to be found:
What are your symbols for identifying yourself as you are or as you are seen by your society?
Matriarch
mirrorportrait on Moroccan ceramic tiles applied on wooden panel
black wooden frame
This Moroccan elderly lady is the matriarch of her family. After her husband passed away and all of her adult children left the parental home, she stayed there.
Now her home, where all walls are decorated with tiles like these, is the safe haven where everyone is always welcome. On a regular basis all of her children come together with her. She serves as a connector a guardian of memories, and a pillar of support.
When looking at this Moroccan woman in the mirror, you will find yourself in her world.
There is probably a lot that makes you or your life very different from that of this lady. Still there are probably also commonalities to be found:
How do you connect (with) the people around you? Do you serve as a safe haven or pillar of support for you near and dear, who need it?
mirrorportrait on African batik fabric applied on wooden panel
black wooden frame
Travelling through the north of Namibia we saw them more and more: the stately Herero women dressed in beautiful, colourful Victorian dresses.
With their characteristic, wide-spreading hats.
Behind those hats lies a story of perseverance.
Until the colonists entered the land of the Herero and imposed their values, standards and rules, the Herero women wore cow horns as headgear.
The European colonists found that uncivilised and demanded that the Herero women who came to work for them adapt to their own dress code: Victorian dresses and matching, 'decent' hats.
The Herero women did that, but in their own way. With their own colourful batik fabrics they created their own Herero Victorian dresses. And by rolling up a newspaper in the cheerful fabric, they imitated the horns.
With that perseverance they held on to their culture and preserved their dignity.
Looking at the Herero woman in this mirror, you imagine yourself in her world for a moment. And you will undoubtedly notice differences.
At the same time, you have certainly had to be persistent in your life? When have you shown perseverance, like the Herero woman?
Open
mirrorportrait on cortensteel
black wooden frame
Walking through the streets of a Bolivian city, I saw a little girl playing in a desolate garden, behind a steel fence.
Curiously she looked at me from around the eroded gate.
Open and curious, like children around the globe, can be.
You and your children are probably raised quite differently than this little girl. Or maybe you look very differently.
Still, there is certainly also a lot that you have in common.
Can you still be this open to strangers? Are you honestly interested in what a new person has to tell you? Just like this little girl?
mirrorportrait on Tibetan prayer flags applied on wooden panel
When I stayed with the monks of the Tibetan buddhist monastery of Sera Je, I mainly focussed on the children living there. Boys often from around the age of 8, who were sent to the monastery by their parents with the hope and wish for them to become good monks.
The children carried their parents' ambitions and take their assignment seriously as they understand that their becoming a good monk helps to preserve Tibetan buddhist culture and is part of a tradition way older than they are.
The prayer flags that you see behind this young monk, carry prayers, or wishes, to be taken by the wind. The same as the childmonks carry the wishes of their parents and their whole nation.
The question then is, where does that leave their own aspirations? Are theirs the same as those of their parents?
There is probably a lot that makes you or your life very different from that of this childmonk. Still, there are probably also commonalities to be found.
What hopes and dreams do you have for (your) children? How can they contribute to preserving your culture? And what about your own aspirations? Are you living the dream of your parents? Or are you living your own dream?
Marriage
mirrorportrait on satin and silk applied on wooden panel
In almost every culture marriage is among the highest valued statuses a person can achieve. Therefore there are symbols to show everyone that you are married.
This also goes for Tibetan culture. Traditionally Tibetan women wear a chupa, a foldover, long dress. Originally made of wool, but in the warmer climate of Nepal and India, Tibetan women in exile use cotton or, for special occasions, silk.
And when the woman is married she ads the apron to her dress. A colourfully striped, rectangular fabric (often wool, cotton or satin) that is the cultural symbol for marriage.
That is what is applied to this panel as well. On the sides there is the silk, representing the chupa. And the striped satin fabric is an apron.
Now even though you might not be wearing an apron as a symbol of your marital status. And you might look, believe and live very differently than this woman does. Still, you can also find commonalities.
What symbols are common in your culture to display your marital status? Have you started to dress differently as you became older and your role in society changed?