Iris van der Zee

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present. This project celebrates the rich history of pottery, vessels that have preserved food, belongings, ashes of loved ones, and memories—a testament to how art is an active part of society. While this project is only possible now due to recent acceptance of utilitarian objects in the European art world and the use of materials like papier-mâché it also critiques the European art system, built on the notion that art exists outside of society.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

The meaning attributed to an image depends on both the context in which it appears and the viewer's frame of reference. In Vessels of Histories, Iris van der Zee plays with both aspects by creating new vessels from historical pottery images. The titles of these works allude to anecdotal events from her own life, which she associates with the combination of images on the pots. These images, originating from various time periods and regions, take on fresh significance in the present day. Her Vessels breathe new life into historical images, demonstrating that history is always in dialogue with the present.

My virtual sculptures are a visually abstract reaction to how people deal with images today. The advent of social media has set in motion the development of a completely new way of viewing in a relatively short time. Our physical world is increasingly behaving towards the online spin-off of reality. I am fascinated by this young but rapidly developing phenomenon. Through my work, I attempt to capture the alienation that social media has created between the original and its representation. By using clay and Photoshop I create representations of sculptures that never existed – and never will. They are simulations. The image has been digitally manipulated, but still refers to its original shape due to the visible clay structure. It is this gray area between what something really is and how it is depicted that fascinates me immensely.

My interest lays in the human representation in sculpture and more specifically its changing perception through time, sociopolitical events and modern day popculture. My practice is characterized by a constant interaction between photography and sculpture. Photography enables me to turn a sculpture into a portrait, which makes a huge difference in the perceptual experience of the viewer. Photographic techniques prove to have sculptural qualities as well. By photographing the sculpture, I control the angle of view, crop, lighting, point of focus as well as the endless possibilities of digital manipulation. Rather than just capturing the sculpture, the medium of photography plays a role in creating the sculpture itself. Applying the rules of portrait photography to sculpture photography, gives me access to experiment with the borders of what we perceive as a human figure in the visual arts.