HollyHock is the pseudonym of screenprinter and stencil artist Mirjam Wagensveld. She started with stencil art approximately 8 years ago after discovering street art. Mirjam tells us; “I wanted to be able to make that kind of art myself so I watched a lot of youtube tutorials and practiced a lot. However I found that I couldn’t make anything I wanted with that technique (I love the use of halftones for example) and I wanted to make editions (at least more than one). I then discovered screenprinting!”
She learned the basics of screenprinting by following a course at SKVR, an organisation in Rotterdam which offers courses including photography and painting. Mirjam then built her own screenprint studio in her home, making an exposure room, and, of course, the bathroom with high pressure unit. She states; “I learned a lot but I wanted to print bigger and – to be honest – a real screenprint work space is much much better than a screenprint studio in your house”. Thus, Mirjam became a member of Mesh Print Club in Rotterdam.
Today, Mirjam mostly makes portraits of women (models, geishas, singers, actresses) on paper and canvas, taking inspiration from fashion photography and music (two of her biggest passions). A recurring theme in her work is the femme fatale – mysterious, beautiful, and seductive women who are associated with mystification and unease. Mirjam comments; “I am definitely not a femme fatale but I heard a lot of times that I am hard to fathom… So maybe it’s a subject close to me and who I am. None of my femmes show her emotions either. And you don’t see them laughing. But I am sure they do have emotions. I do!”
Collaborations are also a key part of Mirjam’s practice, providing the opportunity for her to experiment and try new things. These collaborations include a poster of The Hague and a vinyl sleeve and record, which she made with her boyfriend PONK, a Nicolas Cage t-shirt which she made with her 15 year old son, and I know It’s Over print with Aleksander Gunther.
Recently Mirjam bought a new lens for her Fujiifilm system camera, hoping to use more of her own original photographs as the basis for future prints. She is looking forward to practicing with her camera and with composition, often using herself as a model; “It’s free, I am always available and do what I want ánd for someone who hasn’t a lot of self confidence that can be very therapeutic (win win?!).”
www.hollyhockart.nl
@hollyhock_art
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