Bewaard | Sijben Rosa

Dutch artist Sijben Rosa (they/them) is interested in how creating objects and choreographing situations around them can foster social connection. Bewaard (Kept) is the outcome of Sijben’s months-long, community-oriented commission. For this, they collaborated with four people in The Netherlands whose sense of mortality is heightened due to aging or illness. Through conversations each collaborator, together with Sijben, set out to identify meaningful objects from their personal surroundings. These ranged from a pinball machine and a BDSM knife, to a nettle leaf and fur coat. However idiosyncratic, these objects speak to their life stories, encapsulating the lasting, personal values identified by each.

Inspired by these objects as conversation pieces in themselves, Bewaard consists of an installation of biodegradable sculptures created by Sijben. Warped in both scale and form, he uses color as a means to further portray their collaborators. For example, charcoal-like tones echo the black ink of tattoos, and reddish hues are borrowed from a cherished painting of Jesus Christ.

Image: Kristien Daem