In this project i worked with painted portraits as a practice of ‘staying with the trouble’ (following multispecies feminist theorist Donna J. Haraway). In looking for a way to cope with the constant images of the genocide in Gaza, i started a drawn diary in which i painted a portrait of a Palestinian child every other day. Painting portraits is a very intimate and personal practice and in this project i explored the way in which it can help battle desensitization when it comes to images of war and death. The portraits are of children that have (since) been killed, children mourning their loved ones but also children finding moments of joy in the middle of the violence as small acts of resistance.
If you are interested in any of the drawings that are not in my shop, in commission work, collaborations or anything else.. send me a message at info@juliettehuygen.com !
Project for Rijnstate Hospital, Arnhem,
The silence centre at the Rijnstate Hospital Arnhem is specially designed for patients, visitors and staff who are looking for peace and quiet, want to light a candle or are seeking a place to pray or meditate. I was asked to create a design for the windows.
In my design, i hoped to create a connection between the silence centre and the Mescid by allowing the images on the windows to flow into each other. Western art is often full of iconography and double layers, whereas Eastern art generally avoids images of animate things and can be incredibly rich in abstraction. The transition from symbolism to abstraction allows both art forms to come into their own. I have chosen to portray a landscape as if it were a mirror for the soul. The silence centre and the Mescid are visited by people in all kinds of different circumstances. In my work, i have tried to give all these people a place. A place of mountains that still need to be moved, of fertility and freedom, but above all a place to retreat and pause for a moment.
