Developed as my graduation project at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Context of Colour explores discrimination and racism through shifting perspectives and the ways these experiences affect our everyday lives. The works seek out complicated conversations around what we see, what we overlook, and the conscious and unconscious ways we participate in what is happening around us.
Each work shares the same ratio, creating a visual connection across the series.
Ek sien jou, ek hoor jou, ek voel jou
Daagliks word daar n sluier gedra
‘N gelykheid verduister in smart
Bloed stu deur die ontworteling-
Daagliks word daar n sluier gedra
Van vroër, van nou, van self
Bloed stu deur die ontworteling
Een woord dra n duisend skerwe-
Van vroër, van nou, van self
‘N waarheid word diep versteek
Een woord dra n duisend skerwe
Tog tel die lyke ons sondes.
‘N waarheid word diep versteek
Skuld het geen perke
Tog tel die lyke ons sondes
My gewete laat my nimmer meer met rus-
Skuld het geen perke
‘N gelykheid verduister in smart
My gewete laat my nimmer meer met rus
Ek sien jou, ek hoor jou, ek voel jou
Ek is jou
Embroidered poem in Afrikaans dealing with the notion of perspective, letting go and the fragility of humanity
glass beads, blood dyed cloth, cotton
A woven meditation on skin, identity and the inescapable colour we are born into. Separate strands of skin-toned yarn interlink to form a new whole, held together by a hidden flexible red wire. A reminder of our sameness beneath the surface, and the choices and beliefs we can make to shape for ourselves.
wire, cotton, wool, cashmere, linen
Each woven strip a person
Each person to his own
Each has mistakes
From afar all the same
All connected by the pain
Each woven strip represents a person; individual, imperfect and shaped by their own choices, yet still connected to everyone around them. From afar the subtle woven differences disappear into grey, connected by blood dyed yarn, the consequence and shared pain.
cotton, blood dyed yarn
Twenty skin-toned masks conceal the face, leaving the wearer unable to see out. By reducing a person to colour, the work makes visible the smothering effect of classification and the prejudgements we make, consciously or unconsciously.
Instax film, Silkscreened masks in Pantone Skin-tone
9 x 5,5 cm
(The size of an Identification card)