This series has its origins in my grandfather’s collection of porcelain figurines. He visited antique shops and flea markets in search of new pieces and spoke affectionately of his collection as “Mijn mennekes”

The drawings are executed with Chinese ink and a dry boar-bristle brush. Each brushstroke leaves behind a fine shading. By combining hundreds of strokes, light, shadow, volume, and texture emerge.

The figures depicted are rendered approximately twenty times larger than the original figurines. The drawings explore what happens when you create an image of an object that has itself stood still for over a century. Unlike the works in other series, these images do not tell a story. They stand on their own, without a setting or events. The figures are still and introspective. Some look away; others turn their backs on the viewer entirely.