The core of the City Series lies in a pursuit of challenging simplicity. Each piece emerges through a process of elimination, abstraction, refinement, and addition, until a clear and resonant image takes shape.
For me, the visual impact of a work is central. I aim to engage the viewer directly, without the need for lengthy explanations; each piece speaks for itself with its own expressive power.
H86 is the code used by the Dutch College of General Practitioners for Deafness and Hearing Impairment.
Creating this series became, in a way, a process of coming to terms, even if that wasn’t my initial intention.
At first, I felt angry and a bit frustrated—angry at all the obstacles and frustrations I had to navigate because of my hearing impairment.
I wanted to understand hearing impairment better and express it in a way that would make it clearer and more relatable, both for myself and others.
“I CAN HEAR YOU, BUT I CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU!”
It may seem the same, but there’s a real difference between hearing and understanding.
Hearing happens with your ears; understanding happens with your brain.
Since sound signals can’t be fully transmitted to my brain, I can hear something, but I can’t always grasp what’s being said.