Shaped by Others

The work depicts a monumental human face composed of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of tiny human figures. From a distance, the portrait emerges; up close, the face breaks down into a fascinating world of individual people. Figures are walking, sitting, jumping, falling and moving in all sorts of directions, whilst collectively forming the contours and shadows of the face. The use of negative space is particularly striking. Large sections of the face are not literally drawn, but are created by groups of people standing closer together or, conversely, disappearing from view. This effect is most evident around the eye, the nose and the mouth. Some human figures are depicted strikingly large, whilst others appear to be little more than small silhouettes. Amongst the people, one can even spot unexpected animals and individual miniature scenes. Despite the enormous amount of detail, the monochrome palette of blue and white gives the work a calm, almost porcelain-like appearance. This creates a fascinating contrast between chaos when viewed up close and harmony from a distance.
Conceptually, the work plays with identity and collectivity: on closer inspection, a single person turns out to consist of countless others. The portrait thus becomes a striking metaphor for the way in which an individual is shaped by encounters, relationships, memories and the people around them.