Nienke Sybrany

*Text by Nienke Sybrany

Taste of Flowers ::: “What you see is what you taste. Sweets made with sugar and flavoured with flowers.”

 

Sticking Plaster on a Roll ::: In the same way that you would lovingly apply a plaster to a skinned knee, you can use this tape to stick together your favourite things.

Herbarium Vases ::: Two-dimensional porcelain vases. Inspired by the small paper vases that were stuck over the stems of dried flowers in seventeenth century botanical albums. Both the plant and vase have lost their original shape and function and have changed from three- to two-dimensional. These porcelain vases have also lost their function as containers – just like many other vases, they are left standing on top of cabinets, covered with dust and are never used to hold flowers

 

Mug ::: The beauty of a crack or a broken handle goes unnoticed. A mug without its handle functions at best as a pencil or brush holder. This mug, which has several handles missing, combines all kinds of scenarious.

 

Upside Down ::: Flowers are subject to expectations and patterns. That sometimes makes it difficult to love them with an open mind.

Plugs ::: When moving into a new house, you will find traces of previous occupants or traces from the building process. Through these traces you can communicate with the house and its previous occupants. You can use the existing drill holes and fixings to hang your paintings or towel rack. Some of the holes may disappear, others will stay visible. The ‘plugs’ series is for those holes that you allow to stay because of their beauty or their story. A plug marks a hole that you find and want to cherish.

 

 
 
 Spirits / Figures ::: Flowers preserved in spirits. Their colours fade, but the pale figures behind the glass force the viewer to look at flowers in a different way.”

 Curtains made from ‘Women’s Tongues’ ::: A curtain of whispering and buzzing voices stops people from looking in, since the common Dutch name for sansevieria is ‘women’s tongues’, on account of the plant’s sharp, pointed leaves.

The Waiting Nail ::: “Borrowing art has many advantages. The borrower has no commitments, there is always something new to interest you and the view changes from time to time. But there is a disadvantage too: namely the blank space that takes possision of the wall as soon as the borrowed work of art is gone. What remains is a hole that reminds us of what used to hang there … The waiting nail makes this spot a sign of promise. It casts its shadow on the emptiness and patiently awaits the art that will come.”

 

Sowing Words ::: “Just as Dutch children traditionally learn to form words and short sentences using a box of little tiles printed with letters, I use my collection of seeds to write. By sowing words, I reap my own green stories. I like having the plants aroundme.”

Title Quote: Marcus Aurelius