When looking at a Dutch still life I can see a painter who looked so carefully at the little things in life that they became extraordinary who could picture something as small as an insect on a piece of fruit and make it seem startling.
The same odd exaggeration and methodical execution of obsessive detail I find in Viktor & Rolf’s Dolls show at Studio Job in Antwerp. Beautiful and a little creepy hand-crafted porcelain dolls dressed in miniature couture. All fabrics, hairstyles and makeup retrofitted with obsessive precision.
Raised in a tradition in which idiosyncrasies and uniqueness are only valued when kept at arm’s length and a humble attitude is expected.
Their success doesn’t originate by rejecting these conventions, but because they have developed a sincerity in which they test the limits of this sham context, exposing its falsehood.
Therefore, the pair felt they needed to reflect on their entire oeuvre, “Dolls” is the result. A mix of cool irony and surreal beauty, combined with the humility that characterizes their work.