REMASTERED ART PORTRAITS
Ernst Spaan is member of a group of artists around "Remastered Art", an initiative of SwopART. Remastered art is an art form in which old orphaned artworks are transformed into new sustainable works of art. Ernst transforms black-and-white portraits of unknown persons into expressive lenticular prints. He gives them a fictitious identity, and brings them back into the present, as it were.
Ernst: "When looking at old portraits I often wonder who these people were, where they hailed from, what their trade was...Oftentimes they are portrayed as content, successful, happy people... However, what lies underneath, what is the other side of their being? One wonders about their aspirations and dreams, whether they were wealthy, indeed happy, on their own or in a relationship? Or did they endure struggle, oppression, trauma? What were their doubts, vices, unmet desires and dreams?"
MOVED [2024]
In a time where migrants in rich countries are more and more deemed unwelcome, it is overlooked how essential they are for the running of our economies and social services. In particular, female migrants are recruited and pivotal to our health, childcare and elderly care services. They are often poor young women, from developing countries, who leave their loved ones behind, to service hospitals, elderly care homes and working parents as nurses and nannies for years on end. Think about it: they take care someone else’s child, while yearning for their own children, when reminiscencing over a photograph or speaking to them on the phone. Their journey from home is physically, psychologically and emotionally demanding and hazardous. How courageous, resilient and loving are these women, who sacrifice so much to secure a better future for their families! This portrait is an homage to these heroines.
LOST INNOCENCE [2023]
This portrait of an unknown child visualizes the loss of playful innocence due to profound personal life experiences, such as the loss of loved ones or emotional neglect during childhood.
FLY AWAY [2023]
This portrait is an homage for early female explorers. Despite their limited freedom due to strict societal norms and rigid prescriptive gender rules, women such as Ida Laura Pfeiffer (1797-1858), Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) and Isabella Bird (1831-1904) followed their dreams and set out to explore the world.
INVIGORATED [2022]
The portrait of this unknown man made me think of a pastor or church minister who maybe dreamed of erecting a Gods house, in a bid to hold up faith. Simultaneously he struggled with more profane matters and holding down carnal desires.
Remastered Art in cooperation with Swop Art (2022-2023).
Printing by Drukmeesters, Zwijndrecht
See this link for an animation clip of the artworks:
https://www.drukmeesters.nl/nieuws-faq/remastered-art/
