Fossil Series

Kyra Nijskens received a grant to create a new series of works that pay homage to the contributions of women artists in art history, particularly in the field of insect representation. In this project, she explores the complex connections between women artists, botanical motifs and the representation of insects. Experimenting with bio-resin as a medium, she explores innovative and sustainable working methods that reinforce her ecological themes.

Kyra moves at the interface between painting and sculpture. She creates objects from synthetic materials such as Plexiglas and metal, which take on an organic form through painting. Her fascination lies in the interplay between the natural and the technological, and the human urge to understand and shape the world, without losing the penchant for the mystical. She is intrigued by biomimetics, not to transform the knowledge of nature into concrete innovations, but to draw poetic parallels between human and non-human expression. In doing so, she focuses her attention on the visual tactics of insects and other life forms, such as camouflage and mimicry. A central theme in her work is transformation, ranging from the transition from pupa to butterfly, from life to death, to the shedding of identities to make room for new, sometimes self-created ones.