Ilse Leenders & Maurits Giesen

Mimicry

We, Ilse Leenders & Maurits Giesen have been working together since we completed our studies at the Royal Art Academy in the Hague, the Netherlands in 2001. We maintain a perfect balance between seriousness and humor. Because we are both directors and performers, we have total control over the final image. We work in locations that are often nondescript, and we use our wry humor to make these places seem both odd and familiar. In fact, every photograph we have produced since then is of ourselves in disguise.

The inspiration for the Mimicry series came from the uniformity of human beings, from people whose identity is missing, and those who are inconspicuous in our society. Just like animals, they adapt to their environment. Visually, it is shown in this series by the use of similar costumes, poses, and sex.

For the Mimicry series, the primary and secondary colors have been used, so the series comprises 6 pictures.

Photographers duo GIESENLEENDERS