Isabelle van zeijl

4th July 2020 Isabelle van zeijl From such personal trauma there grew a preoccupation with things that were beautiful, a logical escapist impulse. For Van Zeijl, during childhood, this meant poring over books on Renaissance art and fashion magazines she found at home. These early experiences with idealized aesthetic images still very much influence her work today. “These are the layers you can recognise in my work. I have snippets from Frans Hals or Rembrandt, but also from fashion photographers, Kate Moss and other fashion models. I’m highly inspired by Alexander McQueen, of course. He also makes, out of dark zones, these beautiful designs.” Van Zeijl began to play with this idea of autonomy, the blurring of the subject with the object. As such, she ends up occupying every role in her own process of photography. She is photographer, model, set-designer, director, all in one. In a sense, she’s fulfilling the societally imposed dream of “every little girl” – to be on the magazine cover – but in another sense, she’s making a point about exposure, tenderness, strength, and self-fulfilment. https://www.mutualart.com/Article/-Out-of-Dark-Zones–These-Beautiful-Desi/6907C5F2A4C93B4A