“I seduce the viewer with interesting shapes and a delicate color palette. When I've captured their attention, the images unravel.”
Thirza Schaap (b. 1971) is a Dutch artist living and working in Amsterdam and Cape Town. Schaap graduated from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 1996. An accomplished sculptor and photographer, renowned for her Plastic Ocean project. In this series, she “raised awareness around pollution, to try and prevent, or at least reduce, the use of plastic”, by sculpting found trash and discarded objects into fanciful arrangements, which are then photographed and displayed. Schaap’s sculptural work and photography seems to play a game that asks whether these objects’ aesthetic appeal can outweigh their utilitarian dullness and, often, the danger and unforeseen consequences they represent.
More recently, the artist has been focussing on painting, creating a collection of botanically inspired works for her Fatal Flowers series. In these works, Schaap selects simple palettes of two or three colours to create images that blur the boundaries between flora and the human form. Engaging with the inherent human inclination to pareidolia, Schaap introduces movement and energy into these seemingly simple florals, creating the impression of someone camouflaged within the flowers, or emergent from the garden of the imagination. The resultant forms are fantastical and intriguing, hinting at what lies beneath the surface of what at first seems simple, inviting the viewer to question what they hold to be true and whether human senses make for reliable witnesses.
More recently, the artist has been focussing on painting, creating a collection of botanically inspired works for her Fatal Flowers series. In these works, Schaap selects simple palettes of two or three colours to create images that blur the boundaries between flora and the human form. Engaging with the inherent human inclination to pareidolia, Schaap introduces movement and energy into these seemingly simple florals, creating the impression of someone camouflaged within the flowers, or emergent from the garden of the imagination. The resultant forms are fantastical and intriguing, hinting at what lies beneath the surface of what at first seems simple, inviting the viewer to question what they hold to be true and whether human senses make for reliable witnesses.