One of a series of ‘portraits’ made during the lockdown of the second corona wave at the end of 2020.

Character accessory with the focus on the face.

The character accessories remind us that in troubled times

friendship is far more important than status or wealth,

where fashion refers to…

It also reminds us of our most basic survival force: our fantasy.

Fantasy makes room for that one imaginary friend with whom you can share all your secrets and doubts.

The friends I create as character accessories are imperfect and ‘inside out’ because the inside is more beautiful than the outside.

No skin color, religion or age.

Visible and tangible is the empathy from heart and soul.

“The one with the open mind”

Made of a royal blue wool knit

Repaired with a silk branded by Gucci

The kintsugi philosophy has been a source of inspiration during the development of this series of portraits.

I repair cashmere with gold thread and silk, embroidering different materials together, creating a character.

The ‘scars’ of the creative process create imperfections that give the character a lived out individuality.

The titles refer to characters you will come across meeting people in daily life.

Although everyone is of course free to give their own interpretation.

These characters were created during the lockdown of the second corona wave at the end of 2020.

They are made with love and attention from the forced rest that gave me the opportunity to deepen myself and my work.

‘Kintsugi’ comes from the Japanese word ‘kin’ (gold) and tsugi (connection), and thus literally means ‘gold connection’.

Kintsugi as an art form is called kintsukuroi which means “restoring with gold”.

It is an art of gluing pottery shards with gold. To show the scars instead of hiding them.

Day after day, week after week, the restorer is busy cleaning, caring for, treating and ultimately improving the object so that it starts to shine.

It is a therapeutic metaphor for healing emotional wounds.

You will be restored and enriched by valuable life lessons.

In this article you can read more about the philosophy and energy of kintsugi.

The nice neighbor