Iris Van Der Zee reevaluates the artistic sculpture in modern context

Date
11 November 2016

Iris Van Der Zee is an artist currently based in Dutch creative hub The Hague, Netherlands. Inspired by what she calls “the most narrow-minded thinkers of Western civilization: the sculptors from classical antiquity” she has put ancient stereotypes in the context of contemporary society to “test their relevance”.

This inspiration manifests itself within the artist’s publication Statue. The sophisticatedly designed book appropriates images of sculptures, and questions how statues are viewed in a modern day context, despite once being “a symbol of power, beauty and historic value”. Iris recognises that those were “the dogmas it was created within. Placing the sculpture in contexts of violence, the piece no longer represents its maker’s ideas, but seems to take on a life of its own”.

Decades after these works were initially created, Iris uses contemporary photography, found footage, collage and digitally manipulated documentation to give these contemporary sculptures a new lease of life.

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Iris van Der Zee: Statue

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Iris van Der Zee: Statue

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Iris van Der Zee: Statue

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Iris van Der Zee: Statue

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Iris van Der Zee: Statue

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Iris van Der Zee: Statue

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

Lucy (she/her) is the senior editor at Insights, a research-driven department with It's Nice That. Get in contact with her for potential Insights collaborations or to discuss Insights' fortnightly column, POV. Lucy has been a part of the team at It's Nice That since 2016, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication.

lb@itsnicethat.com

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