ZELFZACHTIG
In Zelfzachtig, I artistically explore both the painful and beautiful parts of growing up as a (queer) woman. In this photo-series I try to free myself from these seemingly inescapable feelings of hurt, and try a method of romanticising the body instead.
For me, these works are about embracing parts of yourself that can be harder to love at times. It’s about looking in the mirror and staring at your ‘flaws’, staring so long until flowers grow out of them. It’s about finding something to love between every crook and every line: it’s about finding strength in insecurity. Most of all, these works are a reminder to stay soft to yourself.
These works were taken from my graduation project, enlarged and exhibited in a lesbian bar in Amsterdam. It’s this context in which I find both safety - from it being in a queer space - as well as anxiety, from putting my body in a public space like this. These contrasting feelings are to be found back in the work itself as well: (finding strength in insecurity). Zelfzachtig can now be viewed in Bar Buka, Amsterdam.
September - October 2023
For me, these works are about embracing parts of yourself that can be harder to love at times. It’s about looking in the mirror and staring at your ‘flaws’, staring so long until flowers grow out of them. It’s about finding something to love between every crook and every line: it’s about finding strength in insecurity. Most of all, these works are a reminder to stay soft to yourself.
These works were taken from my graduation project, enlarged and exhibited in a lesbian bar in Amsterdam. It’s this context in which I find both safety - from it being in a queer space - as well as anxiety, from putting my body in a public space like this. These contrasting feelings are to be found back in the work itself as well: (finding strength in insecurity). Zelfzachtig can now be viewed in Bar Buka, Amsterdam.
September - October 2023