Marije van Toledo

My work explores the space between presence and disappearance, where the image is always in construction rather than completion.

In my recent series, Identity in construction, I explore the face as a shifting and unstable image, constructed in layers of paint where recognition and distortion coexist. Through a process-driven approach, I investigate how identity emerges, transforms, and gradually dissolves. 

In my portrait paintings, the face is never a fixed image but a process of becoming. I build each work in layers of paint, where earlier traces remain visible and new forms continuously shift what is seen.

The tension between recognition and distortion is central to my practice. A portrait may appear familiar at first, but gradually reveals instability — as if identity itself is never fully settled.

education: Academy of fine arts, Tilburg

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