COLLABORATION 03
Ruth van Beek #2

I want to breathe life into something that is stationary. I collect photographs from the 1950s and 1960s, but since the photographs are printed on photographic paper, the surface changes chemically across the decades. In other words, although it is a still image, the surface transforms like a living thing. Collage work also takes what is in the picture out of its original context. Suppose images of a rabbit and a white porcelain jar are published in separate magazines or books. When placed together in a collage, the viewer may discover some new relevance in what were originally a completely unrelated animal and piece of porcelain.

Dolls are always a great source of inspiration. It is strange that people since childhood have been attracted to dolls that cannot make even the slightest movements. Is it because the cheeks of the doll are often coloured and make them resemble living creatures? Either way, I’ve long been interested in the existence of such dolls.

That’s a very elusive and difficult question. Is it maybe something pure that can’t be deceived? What I am conscious of when making a work is to expose the structure. I want to show things in good faith without over decorating or cheating. Of course, there remain many mysteries about what is reflected in my work, but the structure itself is always clear. When you look at a person, you will be drawn to the true nature of that person, such as the skeleton, veins and facial muscles rather than a face that has been covered with makeup. That may be beauty, I feel.

I have only visited Japan once, but I was surprised to see people’s ingenuity seemed very natural there. I saw it on the subway where as a measure against rain leaks, there was a pipe running down the wall from the ceiling into a PET bottle placed on the floor. I felt an aesthetic sense that reached the realm of art. No one would think of that in the Netherlands (laughs).