Dutch photographer Suzanne Jongmans creates portraits that reference Renaissance painting while using materials destined for waste streams. She constructs garments and accessories from padded packaging, plastic mesh sleeves used for fruit protection, and copper coils salvaged from discarded household appliances.
The finished costumes are worn by models posed against dark backgrounds in compositions that recall works such as Leonardo da Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine" and Antonello da Messina's "Portrait of a Young Man." The contrast between the refined postures and the humble, synthetic materials is intentional.
Jongmans describes her practice as an exploration of the space between the material and immaterial worlds, where society, eras, emotions, and cosmic forces converge. She notes that since the Enlightenment, reason and mechanization have been glorified while the significance of myths and imagination has faded.
Recent works incorporate copper wiring extracted from electric motors and fuses, adding metallic elements to the plastic-based constructions. The artist also addresses contemporary gender roles and social taboos, such as public breastfeeding, within the historical aesthetic framework.
One self-portrait, "In the Midst of It All," was made during the pandemic and functions as a personal reminder to slow down and reconnect with the immediate environment. The prints are produced as limited editions on Hahnemühle paper in various dimensions.
Jongmans shares her work through her Instagram account and has been featured in independent arts publishing. The series continues to expand with new pieces that blend historical portraiture conventions with contemporary material concerns.
Suzanne Jongmans Recycles Everyday Materials for Elegant Renaissance-Style Portraits
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