One of the main functions of art is to hold a mirror up to society and confront us with the differences between our conceptions and reality. At the Biotope in Haren, Emily Wortel (Amsterdam, 1979) works hard to make sensitive issues discussable through her art. We spoke to her at her studio.
"I went straight to Academy Minerva after havo to study Autonomous Visual Arts. I painted and drew a lot, however, I did very little of that after graduating in 2001. I then traded painting and drawing for graphic printing and photography. I did not get involved in photography until quite late in life because the medium is a complicated technical matter and I naturally prefer working with my hands. In my art practice, I often switch between different media such as sculpture and printmaking so that I can express myself in different ways. Added to this is the fact that one subject is better captured by a particular technique. Photography is an example of a medium that enters into a very direct relationship with the viewer, whereas if you draw or paint people, there is often a layer between the subject and the viewer and the medium itself often attracts more attention than the subject.
The themes I work in are about identity, connection and intimacy. I am currently working on a photo series Being Naked (working title) that deals with the normalization of nudity. Being a mother of four children myself, I noticed that they thought differently about nudity than I did. Over the years, society has become increasingly prudish and nudity is increasingly linked to sex. I think it was good for myself that I used to do a lot of model drawing in art school because it gives a more realistic view of the human body and it shows how reality differs from our ideals.
I want people to think more positively about their own bodies and to be able to see nudity separately from sex.
On Instagram, you only see models' perfect bodies and this often leads people to look at their own bodies out of dissatisfaction. But that way, you will never be satisfied with yourself. Social media is now the frame of reference for how we deal with nudity. There you see that nudity is mainly linked to sex and functions mainly as a way to pose, seduce or purely as a way to obtain validation. Having adolescent children myself has made it clear to me how important it is to talk about this with each other. That is why I started making this photo series to show people a different picture than you normally see on social media.
I want people to think more positively about their own bodies and to be able to see nudity separately from sex. I photograph people in their own home environment so that they are as comfortable as possible and can also be themselves. I want my images to carry a sense of homeliness, confidence and self-acceptance. This attitude makes my sculptures approachable without the nudity deterring the viewer. I want to invite people to just be allowed to look and show that you can also be comfortable in your body, even if it deviates from our ideals. This is an ongoing project and I am still looking for people to model for me.
My subjects sometimes tend towards activism, but what I mainly want is for subjects to remain discussable. There are many beautiful things in life that are unfairly problematised in Western society and through my projects I want to counter this tendency and make my voice heard."
Text: Dinnis van Dijken
Photos: Lisa Jasperina Bommerson + Emily Wortel