Penumbrae - Hardcover

Juul Kraijer's practice draws upon Surrealist photography, using models as vehicles for ideas rather than portraits: """"Without being literal, I'm employing the Surrealist grammar of alienation; mirroring, fusing of disparate entities, animating an object, objectifying a human body part, or casting a dazzling web of shadows on it."""" In a situation that would normally arouse anxiety, the model preserves a stillness and grace reminiscent of Renaissance portraiture, further evoking a sense of an otherworldly, dream-like space through real encounters that border on the surreal.

Visual artist Juul Kraijer was born in the Netherlands in 1970. Alongside photography, on which she focused for the past two years, Kraijer favours drawing as one of her principle mediums.

Her work has been exhibited worldwide and features in the collections of major museums, including MoMA/ New York, KIASMA/Helsinki, Museum Kunst Palast/ Düsseldorf, Kupferstichkabinett Berlin and Museum Moderner Kunst/ Vienna. It has been awarded four Dutch artprizes.