"Housing shortage" is an image that balances between absurdism and indictment. At its centre is a girl with a birdcage over her head. On her head rests an eggshell, as if she has just crawled out of an egg: half human, half animal. The parrot that actually belongs in the cage is, of necessity, on the outside. Although the doors are open, he can no longer enter - there is no more room.
The work is executed in warm colours: an analogue drawn portrait, later scanned in and enriched with parts of photographs, such as the cage and the bird.
Housing distress poignantly depicts the consequences of failing and slow government policies around nitrogen and housing. The need is so high that people are willing to disguise themselves as animals, so to speak, to find another place - even if it is a bird cage. The open doors of the cage symbolise the apparent opportunities that exist, but where in reality there is no more room. This work invites reflection: how long do we accept that people should be left outside, literally and figuratively?
My name is Saskia Nelissen, I live and work in Rijswijk and in May 2010 I started my own company in Visual Communication, Kasias Photo Art.
Kasias is involved in special projects in the field of photography, image editing and graphic design.
I also teach Photoshop and Lightroom courses..
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