Dutch photographer Suzanne Jongmans is revolutionizing contemporary art by creating stunning portraits that mirror Renaissance and Baroque paintings using nothing but discarded packaging materials. Her retrospective exhibition "Rewriting History" is currently on display at the Dordts Patriciërshuis museum in Dordrecht, Netherlands, running until October 26th, 2025, showcasing her unique ability to bridge centuries of artistic tradition with modern environmental consciousness.
The exhibition takes place within the elegant rooms of an 18th-century townhouse, where Jongmans' hyperrealistic photographs appear to seamlessly complete the historic interiors. Her portraits possess an eerie resemblance to classical Dutch master paintings, yet beneath their luminous serenity lies an unexpected foundation of plastic, foam, and bubble wrap. The artist transforms these disposable packaging materials into elaborate sculptural costumes that capture the poise and symbolism of old masters while simultaneously commenting on today's culture of mass consumption.
Jongmans' creative process is remarkably labor-intensive and mirrors the meticulous craftsmanship of historical painters. She spends weeks personally sewing each garment before assembling hundreds of photographic fragments into a single cohesive image, building layer upon layer much like Renaissance painters once applied glaze and pigment. Through this time-consuming approach, she deliberately restores the tactile and temporal weight that was once inherent in both painting and clothing production, creating a stark contrast with the immediacy and disposability that characterizes contemporary life.
The artist's multidisciplinary practice encompasses photography, costume design, sculpture, and textile craft, with each work serving as a vehicle for deep introspection and universal connection. "Clothing has always been a sign and a means of communication," Jongmans explains, utilizing both the material and metaphorical layers of attire to examine how identity and belonging are constructed in modern society. Her work explores existential dualities including love and loss, transience and eternity, and youth and maturity, forming the emotional foundation of her artistic practice.
Among the notable works featured in the exhibition are several pieces that demonstrate the range and depth of Jongmans' vision. "Solitude" (2014) presents a young woman wearing a foam-rubber habit while holding a sprig of jasmine, symbolizing purity and introspection. "Mind Over Matter: Present" (2015) serves as a self-portrait with the artist's son, exploring themes of motherhood and presence. "In Resonance" (2021) offers a meditation on vibrational connectivity throughout the universe, while "The Whole of Who We Are" (2023) features battered marbles resembling planets as symbols of creativity and human potential.
The exhibition reveals how materials once destined for waste bins acquire the dignity of luxurious brocade under Jongmans' artistic vision, while faces captured in modern light echo the solemnity of another era. As the artist notes, this interplay demonstrates how historical settings can strengthen and enrich contemporary artwork, and vice versa. The retrospective not only surveys her impressive body of work but also provides insight into her transformative process of converting the ordinary into the sublime and the disposable into the enduring, offering visitors a powerful commentary on consumption, waste, and the timeless nature of human artistic expression.
