Isabelle Van Zeijl - Enigmatic Rebirth

Isabelle Van Zeijl invests herself in her images. She takes female beauty ideals from the past and sabotages them in the context of today. By using subjects that intrigue and evoke emotion, she reinvents herself repeatedly and has created a body of work to illustrate these autobiographical narratives. Her work takes from all she experiences in life - she is both the model, creator, object, and subject. Going beyond the realm of individual expression, so prevalent in the genre of self-portraiture, she strives to be both universal and timeless.

Her love for nature and metamorphosis is also identifiable in the rebellious way she reshapes the dresses of well-known fashion designer Claes Iversen, whose designs she sabotaged into new forms in her early series “Camouflaged Beauty.” The embroidered flowers on the body indicate the process of our natural and inherent need to grow and continually progress; it illustrates the transformation from one phase of life to another, including the metamorphosis of a child into a woman. Transformation is a real and lasting change, however, is not a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, but rather a means by which we move forward, towards wholeness.

Over the past fifteen years, Van Zeijl has shown work internationally. She is represented by galleries in the U.K., the U.S., the Netherlands, Belgium, and exhibits at emerging and established international art fairs in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, London, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and Italy. She was nominated for the Prix De La Photographie Paris and The Fine Art Photography Awards. Her work is held in private & public collections in the USA, U.K., Belgium, Germany, France and The Netherlands. She is represented in the U.S. by Christopher Martin Gallery from Aspen and Dallas.

“The root of hope lives in all of us. Is a flower not the perfect metaphor for hope? You begin with the hope that seeds turn into something beautiful. This flower series is about giving back and sharing hope and beauty with others. Let the seeds of our hope grow to abundant and viral beauty.” -Isabelle van Zeijl

Dutch fine art photographer Isabelle van Zeijl creates enigmatic self-portraits representing transformation, rebirth, and growth. Touched by the beauty in his works, we can reconnect with the natural world and history, as we so profoundly yearn to. Her work is a visual celebration of hope, renewal, and growth. Inspired by the relationship between humanity and nature, van Zeijl evolves her practice towards the reinvention of the self. For her latest work, van Zeijl turned her eye on 400 million flowers destroyed during the quarantine. Using flowers salvaged from her local growers in the Netherlands, Isabelle has created a stunning series of photographs representing transformation, rebirth, and growth.