Fenna Witkamp

G: How do you think your work resonates with the theme of development?

F: “Well, the project is about masculinity and how the image of masculinity develops through the younger years of guys and from the age of 16 until 23. Like the adolescent age. So, I think it matches well for development. I’m focusing on how male bonds exist in certain spaces and how they can relate to each other, so it’s more about growing up and how they see other men, so I think that matches with the theme.”

G: Do you have a clear goal that you want to communicate through your work? 

F: “I’m very interested in taboos in society and how they come to exist. And my goal is to talk about them and make them more visible, normalising them. I’m interested in sexuality, gender, and how they are formed in society. My goal is to make people aware of the taboos that they practise and are within them, so I’m trying to smash them. Some people say my work is kind of heavy to see, and maybe confronting. That’s what I’m trying to do, shock them with their own prejudice, and make them think about it and the reason why it shocks them. So, I guess that’s my goal.”

G: Do you think the younger generation accepts the subjects better?

F: “Yes, for sure. I went with my grandparents 3 days ago to one of my exhibitions and they just couldn’t seem to understand it. They tried, but I think the topics are more contemporary.”

G: Where do you usually seek inspiration? 

F:  “When I start a project, I just seek inspiration from the people around me, or people I just met. Let’s say I’m in a club somewhere, I meet someone and explain my project or the subject I’m interested in, trying to gather all sorts of experiences and I just write them down. That’s one of the ways I take inspiration from, but I also do some research. For the masculinity theme I’m showing at Nieuwe Vide, I was looking at scientific papers and trying to understand the psychology behind it. I read the research, and some lines stuck with me, so I created work based on it.”

G: How did you choose to talk about masculinity?

F: “I was with my colleague actually, and after work, he asked his friends to come, he’s like 18 or something, and I was hanging out with them. I was just sitting there quietly and for the 2 hours I was there, just listening, I realized they only talked about girls, war, and the parties they went to. But they didn’t ask ‘How are you doing?’. There were 10 of them and I was so surprised. I started to feel pity for them, for not deeply connecting with each other like I do with my female friends. I had to find out what this was about. Especially because I see them wanting the connection, they hug each other, but there’s still an emotional distance.” 

G: I’ve seen in some of your works, that you write in them. How does literature play a part in your work? 

F: “I wouldn’t say literature affects my work. When I think about a subject, I read about it. So, it influences a bit, but not on the texts that I write. They are usually mine or other people’s thoughts and experiences. People always say a picture can speak a thousand words but I don’t agree. I want to make it clear. I can make a portrait of someone and no one would know about our conversation. I think it becomes more clear to the viewer, I want everybody to understand my intention. It doesn’t really have a deeper meaning behind it.”

G: You said some people consider your work intense, and I think that’s because of the lighting and the setting. Is there a relationship between these with the topics you choose to talk about? 

F:  “I think it kind of comes naturally to me. I did a project called ‘Cathexis’ and it is about hookup culture, and how we see love. And these moments only happen because I see in front of me, the lighting, and everything. I just do it exactly how it is on my mind. I noticed that I work a lot with spotlights, and it really just happens. I think that’s how I feel when I talk to someone about a subject, I just see them and the rest is blurry. That sounds a bit spiritual, but sometimes it feels like that. I have a notebook that when I see the scenes, I draw it and then, I make it happen.”