- Art
- Graphic
- Design Research
"As an artist I transform terrifying facts into soft, almost tender images. In a world subject to climate crisis, I tend to look for consolation. I face reality with wonder as my greatest weapon. Because how do we, inhabitants of this earth, deal with increasingly severe periods of water shortages, heat and floods, and all the consequences that entail?"
About
Zindzi Zwietering (1992, NL) is an artist working mainly with photography. Her work tends to start off from photography, but usually evolves in various other media such as silk screens, drawings and recently ceramics. She holds a BA in photography from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague and is a recipient of the Mondriaan Stipend for Emerging Artists. As a photographer she works for editorial clients such as Vandejong Agency, de Volkskrant and publisher Unieboek | het Spectrum. Her book ‘Bron’ was recently published by publisher the Eriskay Connection. Zwietering exhibited at the Lakenhal Museum, Art Rotterdam, Unfair, Unseen and Dutch Design Week. Her work is acquired by numerous private collections.
Project
I saw empty pools and recycled my water at home. Still, I found it hard to grasp. The scarcity turned out to be way less visible than I expected and that exactly interested me. Only when I saw the empty dams outside the city, I realised that something was really wrong.
April 12, 2018: Day Zero, the day that the whole city of Cape Town would run out of water. The countdown to Day Zero was supposed to be a countdown to chaos. Zindzi Zwietering spent two months in the city to document the crisis.
Bron reflects on South Africa’s water crisis and questions how urban citizens relate to a changing earth. An earth on which a quarter of the world population deals with extreme shortages. We are highly dependent on natural sources, but they have become more and more invisible for citizens of urban areas. How can we as a society really comprehend the significance of the situation as long as there is still water flowing from our taps?
Bron investigates the human perspective, not only on one country, but on a world exposed to climate crisis. Zwietering brings to life how invisible phenomena increasingly shape our daily lives. She renders the abstract clear and brings the hidden into focus.
Photography and concept: Zindzi Zwietering
Graphic design: Lyanne Tonk
Research and writing: Lize Swartz
Print: Drukkerij Tielen
Publisher: The Eriskay Connection
Distribution: Idea Books
On Show
Bron
Book on view and for sale
Studio Envisions
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Dutch Design Week
Eindhoven, NL
22–30 October 2022