Birdforum
2024
27.9 x 27.9 cm / 11 x 11 inch
currently approx 90 collages
Birdforum merges pages from Artforum - a magazine where art galleries advertise their exhibitions, with images of birds. I selected only exhibitions by female artists and paired them with illustrations of birds sourced from used nature books. By superimposing these bird images over the advertisements obscuring the visuals while leaving the text intact I create a new, playful, and evocative layer. In this composition, birds symbols of freedom intentionally disrupt the visibility of the artworks. They serve as metaphors for the tension between appreciation and objectification: simultaneously adorning and obscuring, they invite a critical reflection on how artistic value is assigned. The English slang term "bird," which can refer to women, adds another dimension to the work. It prompts questions about how female artists even those in prestigious positions are perceived, labeled, and framed within the art world. By maintaining the original format of Artforum, Birdforum transforms this influential art publication into a commentary on power structures and gender dynamics in the contemporary art world. At the same time, it offers a playful visual experience that contrasts sharply with the magazine's typically serious tone.
Reframing Art
2024 - life size posters
For this series I further explore my fascination with the interplay between art and commerce. I used pages from Christie’s auction catalogs, featuring paintings and artworks that were up for auction. I tore these pages from the books and scattered them across the paint-splattered floor of the studio in the Luceberthuis, where I was an Artist in Residence for six months in 2024. I then placed a mat (passe-partout) over the pages lying loose on the floor and photographed these compositions.The work examines the role of framing and the tension between revealing and concealing, themes central to my practice. At the same time, I question the relationship between painting and photography, and I literally reframe/ reposition the work of the artists whose works are depicted in the catalogs. By placing the pages on the floor of the artist studio, with the paint traces still visible on the floor I directly link the historical weight of the studio space to the commodification of art. The splattered paint becomes a ghostly residue of past creative acts, evoking the performative gestures of artists whose status in art history is monumental and unassailable. By juxtaposing these auction catalog pages with the physical remnants of the studio, I invite the viewer to reflect on the complex dialogue between artistic labor and the market forces that now define much of an artwork’s value.
Ephemera
2023
Archival pigment print
40 x 53 cm / 15.7 x 20.8 inch
This series of photographs was taken during my residency at the Cité des Arts in Paris, coinciding with major strikes over pension reform. The most visible effect was the uncollected garbage that piled up for weeks, dramatically changing the atmosphere of the city. What struck me most was how tourists, though horrified by the sight, carried on unchanged - their romantic vision of Paris in ruins, but their behavior unaffected. Watching the growing piles, I saw no social hierarchy in the garbage. Luxury shopping bags mingled with low-end brands and household trash. By zooming in, I created painterly compositions where high and low culture converged. The discarded remnants of the locals, the unhoused and the wealthy filled the streets. But this work is about more than garbage. These images are an expressionistic gesture in which form, shape, and color intertwine with the symbols that define contemporary society. Beyond documenting waste, they seek an aesthetic in chaos, revealing unexpected beauty in what is left behind.
Contemporary Art
2016 - 2019
Archival pigment print
Photographic series
This series is based on selected pages from art auction house catalogs. These pages feature images of artworks accompanied by contextual information such as exhibition history, estimated market value, and current ownership. The pages are torn out of the catalogs and then re-photographed in front of a light box. This process creates an image that fuses the two sides of the page into a single composition. The resulting images resemble collages and give the illusion of being digitally manipulated or Photoshopped, which is not the case. The deliberate choice to work with analog techniques is a key conceptual element of this series. The composition of each image is only partially controllable, resulting in a seemingly unrestrained abstraction that has an ethereal, ghostly quality.
Through this interplay, the series explores themes of authorship, authenticity, reproduction, and the commodification of art.
Everything Fell into the Right Hands
2009 - 2011
C - Print
32 x 40 cm / 12.5 x 15.7 inch
This series of 'portrait' photographs focuses on the hands of elderly women wearing their jewelry, and explores the themes of time, permanence and social status. In Western culture, jewelry often serves as a way to display wealth, social status, and personal identity. The materials, craftsmanship, and brands of these pieces can signal financial success, while their design and the occasions they are worn reflect cultural or social roles. Jewelry carries also a large symbolic value. Wedding rings, engagement bands, and family heirlooms represent important life events, family connections, and traditions, linking personal stories to broader societal norms.
I was interested in the contrast between the temporal of the bearers versus the eternal of the stones, but also to make portraits of these women.
Some of the women I photographed are now deceased and immortalized in these images.
In Retrospect
2015 - 2017
Archival Pigment Print
various sizes
In Retrospect is a series of photographs created using an analog process. Pages from the prestigious TEFAF art fair catalogs featuring artworks from across (art) history were torn out and placed on a lightbox to allow both sides of each page to be visible at once. This unlikely pairing of images was then photographed using a large-format camera without any digital manipulation. The resulting photographs appear ghostlike, fusing different times, styles, and materials into a single, layered image. This project reflects my interest in found materials, historical residue, and the recontextualization of valuable objects.
For Arts Sake
2005 - 2009
C - Print
For Art's Sake is a photographic series created between 2005 and 2009. Shot during art openings in New York’s Chelsea gallery district, the series captures the social rituals and hierarchies of the contemporary art world. The images document the subtle dynamics between the various groups that inhabit the art scene, including artists, collectors, curators, gallerists, art students, and people who attend simply to enjoy the free drinks. Using a medium-format film camera. The photographs appear slightly formal and almost staged despite the candid nature of the scenes. This tension between documentary and performance highlights the performative nature of these events. Rather than focusing on the artworks themselves I shifted the focus to the spectators. My work reveals how these gatherings often serve as arenas for social display, professional positioning, and cultural posturing. The result is a nuanced critique of the art world's emphasis on status, visibility, and exclusivity..
A Picture of ....
B/W print
Silver Leaf on glass
Wenge wood, mdf
1. A Picture of Carrie Fisher 2. A Picture of June 3. A Picture of Mia Farrow 4. A Picture of Peggy Lipton 5. A Picture of Barbara Bell Geddes
These works feature images of actresses from a bygone era, presented behind glass that is treated with pure silver leaf, functioning as a mirror. When standing before this work you are immediately confronted with your own reflection, creating a direct and interactive engagement. This interplay metaphorically explores themes of self-image, aging, impermanence, and vanity. Some of the women depicted in this series have already passed away, yet in these images, they continue to gaze out at the viewer with a seductive allure, transcending the temporal constraints of their lives.
Share Moments. Share Life
Duratrans print in lightbox
This series came about about more or less by accident. A few years ago, I found a stack of old Life magazines and used them for a site-specific work; the magazines then sat in my studio for a few years without a specific purpose. The magazines are from the golden age of journalistic photography, the late 1960s and early 1970s. The stack covers a period of about five years and shows, for example, the moon landing, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the Vietnam War. As I flipped through the magazines, I noticed that there were a lot of camera and photography advertisements in them; also noticeable was the audience that the advertisements were aimed at. The pages of camera advertisements testify to the speed with which the medium of photography was made available to the masses. For a long time, the reproduction of visible reality was only possible for a handful of pioneers. Later, I supplemented the series with contemporary photographic advertisements from American Photo magazine, which focus more on the technical possibilities of the camera itself. The backs of the pages show pressing issues of the day and from cigarette brands to popular vacation destinations. The series resulted in a photographic timeline that captures the spirit of each era from which the images were taken.
The Mounted Life
2009 - 2011
C-Print
Various sizes, series contains of about 60 images
In this project, I photographed taxidermied animals stored in the archives of 33 natural history museums across Europe and America. Without altering their positions, I captured these 'animals' as they were arranged by museum staff, often resulting in inadvertently poignant scenes. Using a large-format analog camera, natural light, and long exposure times, the images evoke a sense of life in these preserved creatures.
Bills
2020 - 2021
A4 Copy paper with collage and mixed media - two parts; 33 works through Instagram + 63 works for ABN AMRO
This series of collages and drawings emerged during the first COVID-19 lockdown in the Netherlands, a time of immense societal impact. With all cultural spaces closed, many self-employed creatives faced significant financial struggles. My work often explores themes of time and value, and during this period, everything seemed to align for this project. I had been drawing on gallery press releases collected from exhibitions. One night in April, I received a bill via email, printed it, and instinctively began drawing on it. Once finished, I posted it on Instagram for the exact amount of the bill, offering it on a first-come, first-served basis—allowing someone to literally pay my bill and by an artwork. This project not only highlights the precarious financial position of most artists but also questions the transparency and perceived value of art. The price of art becomes whatever someone is willing to pay. After a period of sharing these bill-drawings on Instagram, ABN AMRO bank recognized the project’s significance and supported it for a year by covering common expenses throughout 2021.
This resulted in 63 works which partly also reacted to their own art collection.
For the love of stealing
2013
dead butterfly, brass, wood in a display case
This butterfly was taken from a Damien Hirst retrospective at the Tate Modern in London in 2012. The exhibition featured two rooms filled with live butterflies, and during my visit, I found a dead butterfly on the floor and decided to take it home with me. Hirst, known for his controversial career, has often been accused of borrowing ideas from other artists. His work seems to echo Picasso’s famous saying, "Good artists copy, great artists steal," a sentiment that has inspired this piece as well. The title of this work is a direct reference to Hirst’s diamond inlayed human skull, For the Love of God, another controversial work. This piece is now part of the Hartwig Foundation’s collection.
Birds of a feather
2017
pigment print and housepaint on wood
50 x 38 cm /
These works feature torn-out quotes from magazine interviews with celebrities and artists, printed on a panel. Designed like a bulletin board, the pieces are arranged with snippets of conversations and highlighted phrases. The expressions are relatable, yet often feel trivial. While celebrities have vast influence, there’s a noticeable absence of true connection, as if their power is rarely used meaningfully. But that is not only their 'fault' it is also the media who position these people in a certain way.
Ragarding the Pain of Others
Ways of Seeing
On Aesthetics
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
2012
ink on paper
140 x 100 cm
This is a series of hand-copied books, each exploring different ways of looking at art. Every book is fully transcribed onto a single sheet of paper. As a left-handed writer, my early experience with handwriting was shaped by frequent punishment from my elementary school teacher, which often left me copying textbooks with an ink pen in the corner of the classroom. My school notebooks were typically smudged—ink pens are far from ideal for left-handed writers. These works began during a period of creative transition when I felt stuck with my work, shifting from primarily taking photographs to exploring new methods. On a whim, I picked up a book lying around the studio and started copying it by hand. The process felt meditative, and the meticulous nature of this work brought me a surprising sense of calm.
Obscurity is forever
2013
found trophies, granite, marble
The End
Silkscreen printed artist book edtion of 3
AP 1/1
2013
26 x 32 cm
Archival pigment print
All photographs are accurate. None of them are truth
2024
The eye should learn to listen before it looks
2024
Various works in various sizes made out of vintage glass negative.
Transience
C Print
various sizes
The series Transience shows photos of flower bouquets placed on graves. The flowers have been there for several days. These bouquets are left by loved ones to say goodbye and guide the dead to what lies beyond. Flowers stand for the human soul, and in the past, people saw something divine in them. Flowers are with us through all of life – at birth, school graduations, weddings, and finally at death. In my work, I focus on the temporarity of things and how meaning can change. This series shows the contrast between what is short-lived and what lasts forever, between beauty and decay.