I am not my body
Series
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For the people who only know me as a sculptor; I graduated as a graphic designer in 1995 with a photoshop project. To this day I love creating digital images. In the summer of 2023 I created this series of five works, which were unveiled in Heusden on September 9.​

I graduated as a graphic designer in 1995, with a photoshop project. To this day I love creating digital images. In the summer of 2023 I created this series of five works, which were unveiled in Heusden on September 9.

Layered concept
By undressing these famous personalities I strip them of their identity. In this way I literally dismantle Napoleon by showing him naked. In the title this is the layer: "I am not my personality" (part one of the caption).

However, the 'nude' of these iconic figures is an intermediate step of what I want to communicate with this series, because the body is not who they really are: "I am not my body" (part two of the caption) ​
The third part of the title: "I am Spirit" is the message of this series and the starting point for creating it. However, it is not possible to shape Spirit, as it has no shape. With the title of the work I try to invite the viewer to look beyond the matter of the flesh. The naked truth of who we really are is that we are spiritual beings.

Source
As humans we deny our 'True Self' by identifying with our body and our personality. Our True Self goes beyond these identifications because we are and remain in reality Spirit, connected to the eternal source to which everything is connected.

Series
I started the series with 'The Son of Man' by Magritte. Magritte spoke in his work about: "the human desire to see what lies behind the visible:" That is exactly what I want to show in my version of the Son of Man: I am not a man, I am not a body, I am a spirit.

Limited edition
These works are produced in a limited edition of 17 copies in the highest quality print possible. They can be ordered with or without a frame.
See the bottom of the page for more information. ​​
A special aspect of Magritte's work is that the right arm is turned around, so the elbow is towards the viewer. This is also the case without his jacket. ​

For the figure of the milkmaid I looked for a model that I photographed in the right position and lighting. Until now, I had to adjust the proportions enormously for this work so that they match the shapes of the original. She may be a bit fuller than she actually would be, but I wanted to use the contours of the image as we know her as much as possible. I freed the milkmaid's full breasts from the constricted corset.
The color of her body took a lot of consideration. Would she be pure white? Or a little tanned because she too sometimes sat in the sun? In the end I gave her a sensual hint of pink, so that her body fits nicely with the face.
​Finally, at the pixel level, I edited the edges of the body that blend into the background as if they were painted. Just as I added the crackle.
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A nice detail that I added to this work is the tile in the background that was given space because of the skirt that came off; a seated figure in meditation, to emphasize the spirituality of the work.

Due to the style of this painting, it was a challenge to make her naked body fit in seamlessly with the rest. I think it turned out so well that it is hardly noticeable that she has taken off her clothes. I even hesitated for a moment to remove her from the series because of the obvious nudity that she brings, but this interesting aspect turns out to be a nice addition to the series.
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This work was complex to make because of the proportions. I also looked for a model for this to photograph in the exact pose. From the position of the feet, knees and arms, I discovered that it was impossible to photograph this. To follow the original in terms of shape, I had to lengthen the thighs enormously. In the original this is not noticeable because of the black dress, but in my version where the dress has ended up hanging over the chair, you can see that there is something strange going on in the anatomy of her thighs. Furthermore, I enjoyed that the transparent flap of her headgear does not let her black dress shine through, but her body. ​

​I personally find the vulnerability she has, without clothes with her hands in her lap, much more exciting than the original.
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Although the hand-in-the-coat pose was a popular pose in the eighteenth, I'm in favor. this work adopted the theory that Napoleon had many stomach problems. It is claimed that he died of stomach cancer. That's why you see him pinching his stomach area under his clothes.
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Prizes
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I am not my body #1  - Size: 45 x 60 cm
I am not my body #2  - Size: 50 x 60 cm
I am not my body #3  - Size: 45 x 60 cm
I am not my body #5  - Size: 40 x 60 cm

 €  654,00   on 2 mm dibond with aluminum suspension frame
€  890,00  or in handmade baking frame walnut wood 3 x 35 mm


I am not my body #4  - Size: 60 x 60 cm

€  686,70  on 2 mm dibond with aluminum suspension frame
€  930,00  or in handmade baking frame walnut wood 3 x 35 mm


Material:
Canson Infinity Archival pigment print on Platine Fiber Rag.
This print is of the highest quality possible and will remain colorfast for at least 100 years. ​

Frame:
Traditional, hand-planed baking frames made of solid wood, completely custom-made. A frame is a frame in which the photo is glued to dibond, with space between the frame and the work, hanging floating.
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I am not my body - reeks van 5 werken

€  3.100,00  op 2 mm dibond met aluminium ophangframe
€  4.200,00  of in handgemaakte baklijst walnoot hout 3 x 35 mm


CONTACT
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If you would like to see the works in real life (without obligation), that is of course possible in the Netherlands. Please contact us to arrange where and when. To purchase one or more of these works, you can also email me: mooniq@gmail.com

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