How do you visualize the human experience — courage, happiness, hope? Ceramicist Mitsy Sleurs started with a Matryoshka doll and 99 emotions.
MP4 | YouTube | Vimeo | Blip.tv | Subscribe in iTunes
(Music by Jim Smith)
It all began with a simple assignment: a self-portrait. Mitsy Sleurs, the artist behind ArtMind ceramics, started with the shape of a Matryoshka – also known as a Russian doll. But then a difficult time – a “burnout,” as she calls it – compelled Mitsy to take the project further and use clay as salve. From there, her creativity bloomed and the 99 Feelings project was born.
Mitsy's art effectively portrays the human experience – be it courage, happiness, or hope – and her sensitivity to those emotions are easily felt. As she states, "I like the fact that the number is uneven and that it leaves at least one unfinished feeling to make 100. For me, this represents all of the emotions I haven't covered. They could be anything." But then, as Mitsy herself reveals, her hundredth feeling may be her biggest, best “tummy feeling” yet.
Bao Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American photographer and filmmaker based in New York City.
All Etsy videos are created under the Creative Commons license. Please feel free to share!
