Kragen
Collars
Gesso on pine wood.
Maagdenhuis, Antwerpen, 2023.
"The main visual representation of the girls who once lived in Maagdenhuis was their orphan uniform - a woollen dress, linen undershirt, pinafore, and a large white collar. Joannes De Maré's paintings depicts these girls engaged in their duties - sewing, lace-making, and tending to household tasks. Mannequins now model imitations of those uniforms, and there's Clara, a wooden statue embodying an orphan girl wearing the same clothes.
The white collar immediately stood out to me. I imagined the girls tending to their uniforms, maintaining their condition. Over time, the collars must have taken on traces of their activities, maybe offering a glimpse into their character and individuality. Each collar, despite its uniformity, is unique."