Project

Identity and self-expression are central, an attempt to capture that which cannot be put into words. A form of self-exploration, who lives behind that face. By concealing something, you make it less recognizable, which allows you to feel freer to show more of yourself. Sometimes you have to hide your face to dare to show other parts of yourself. My work revolves around my fascination with the faceless portrait. Portraits of people in which the face is not visible and thus the approach focuses on what identity lies behind it. Identity and self-expression are central, an attempt to capture that which cannot be put into words. Self-exploration plays a major role in this, who lives behind that face? Furthermore, I investigate what lies behind the 'masks' of others. I do this through tables, a beautifully set table that descends into uncontrolled chaos, tells much about the people who have sat at it. You get an insight into their essence without showing their faces or even their complete person. It is a subtle way to capture the 'soul' of a moment or a person without explicit recognizability. In my practice, I have increasingly focused on why faces are hidden. Is it fear, protection, or rather the need to create distance? By concealing something, you make it less recognizable, which allows you to feel freer to show more of yourself. Sometimes you have to hide your face to dare to show other parts of yourself. A portrait without a face can often say more than one in which the identity is directly visible. The absence of a face offers room for interpretation and projection, so hereby I invite the viewer to look beyond the superficial and make a deeper connection with the work.