Cees Krijnen

By making the ever-glamorous Blok the subject of the photographs, both pieces resist the prevalent stereotypes of a sad divorcee.

Although the photographs belong to different series, looking at them side by side invites the viewers to reflect on the passage of time in the contemporary age. In the first photo, Krijnen’s mother is mounted on a horse, while the second photo depicts her riding a tricycle. The parallel between these two modes of transportation-– and more importantly, the transition from one to the other—symbolizes the increasing human dependence on technology and departure from nature. Blok’s reclined position on the tricycle creates an allusion of the body being as one with the machine, providing commentary on the way our aging bodies require more technological assistance, and the continually shrinking boundaries between human and the machine.

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