Kragen
Collars
Gesso on pine wood.
Maagdenhuis, Antwerpen, 2023.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/53f2d72ad60a41c9f80ef742d9360be1f2b05941064c0d06d6d471cc8f499cd9/Kragar_forweb_02.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9cb3a58f0b6b09d5f703ef93fac47f83fc71bc3fe3d9d556b927a9d19f86cdad/Kragar_forweb_06.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bbd5bc64e8da18a12ee3f9f60ecae36cc4becf2212fb0cbd8051724e8930260d/Kragar_forweb_03.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7d877cfc35a1c1b61b079a39531f26c0f4ea60adef69298202e56427e2bc1eee/Kragar_forweb_05.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/26bf54582b5a0fe4794c97986cc2da5bc4c65393326a606e2cf04f9a2bdc09ad/Kragar_forweb_07.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9d3c5c3e362b06ce4f3f40edfb3896cd6742911bb1fef1eb750386c8f872e1fb/Kragar_forweb_01.jpg)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9f4a1ed252ae1fe48382ebf4f4e811ce8a7144cfb2ade273b71526f2e6e06cca/Kragar_forweb_04.jpg)
"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."