"I am particularly interested in the interaction between people, and the way language shapes that interaction. But at the same time, I don't want to portray those interactions directly. Instead, I depict objects that play a role in it. What matters to me is not so much their value as an object but how people used them. More specifically, it is about tables and posters."
"Tables play an important role in human interaction. The conversation space changes completely when you take them away. The posters started out as a completely different project, but the more research I did, the more similarities I saw. 'Table', for example, has the same word root as the French 'tableau', which means a 'surface on which to depict or note something'. Which might as well be a description of 'poster'."
"There are other similarities too. Both posters and tables are surfaces that people can congregate around. Both lend themselves to games and being playful, but also enforce prescribed roles and hierarchy..."
You have already had residencies in South Africa, France, India and Japan. What does the residency at M mean to you in your development as an artist?
"It's huge for me. I really appreciate that it is a research residency and that I am not necessarily expected to deliver new works. M understands that expectations get in the way of creativity, even your own expectations when you write down your project proposal."
"It also provides me with a physical space, and I really need that. For the last six months, I have moved every week. So I find the idea of stability, of being able to work from the same space, very appealing. Knowing that the residency is coming up also makes me enjoy the moves more."
