Chrystl Rijkeboer worked as a photographer’s assistant, social worker and trained as a school teacher before finding her path as an artist. Rijkeboer, who lives in the Netherlands, has been knitting human hair since 1998.
Dutch Wall Carpet
Dutch Wall Carpet, detail
The hair becomes rugs, sculptures and Men-Scapes, which speak about our environment as “places where human influence and intervention are clearly visible.” Her work can be seen as dark and thought provoking. . .or beautifully crafted with profound messages. You choose.
“Everyone knows the lock of hair kept in a medallion or a braid that is kept in an envelope for years lying in a drawer, memories of our childhood or a lost love. They keep the past tangible. Everything perishes except for our hair. By a lock of hair you can literally touch the past”.
“Blanket: No Matter What, a quilt with a little home sitting on top of it, all knitted out of human hair, is a work about unconditional protection and warmth; the house is safely centered on the blanket.”
“Home is the house in which I grew up. Compared to the little homes, this one looks big and comfortable, a super nice play environment for kids. But nothing could be further from the truth; the place is oppressing and unpleasant to stay in. The house is limp and provides no support. The colours I have used for the walls and the roof are based on my parents hair colour.”
Nest Boxes
Nest Boxes, detail
“Nest boxes with ladders, knitted with human hair. Work about definitive ‘leaving’ the parental home with its standards and values and influence. Dissociate from the parental authority and run your own life. When you can let go the dependence to and approval from.”
Art needs to be SEEN to be SOLD
