Artist Statement

Daisy Zwartepoorte

"Welcome to my world of soft strength and fierce fragility"

My name is Daisy Zwartepoorte (1990), and I am a textile artist based in Rotterdam. In my studio, I create a space where dreams and reality merge. Making is my way of slowing down, wondering, and reflecting. My creations speak of connection between ourselves and the natural world, and reveal the strength of softness and the beauty of vulnerability.

                             ⌄

"Transforming the everyday through material, process, and touch"

My inspiration flows from both my conscious and subconscious mind and takes shape in the materials I use. Wool, warm and inviting, plays a central role, often combined with natural rubber, offering both structure and flexibility.

Recently, I’ve added banana fiber and glass to my work. Banana fiber, with its soft, fibrous texture, reminds me of human hair, creating a tactile link to the human body. Glass, on the other hand, is transparent and fragile, yet simultaneously strong and moldable.

The pigments I use are derived from flowers and plants, giving each piece a direct connection to nature. Colour is an essential part of my process.  I work intuitively and experimentally with different dyeing and colouring techniques, allowing colour to emerge through time, layering, and chance. Indigo often plays a central role, alongside other natural and experimental colour processes that continue to evolve within my practice.

Together, these materials symbolize the balance between vulnerability and resilience, softness and strength.

                                        ⌄

Curious to know more? Discover my indigo dyeing process →

In my art, I explore the tension between vulnerability and strength. To me, vulnerability has many faces, it can feel like a threatening force that overwhelms us, but also like a connecting energy that brings us closer to ourselves and others. I don’t see softness as weakness, but rather as a healing force that creates connection.

"Where vulnerability and strength meet, art becomes reflection."

My work provides a safe space to explore this duality, to understand my experiences, and to give tangible form to my emotions. Art allows me to share those emotions with the world, as an invitation to pause, reflect, and connect.

                                           ⌄

Vafuworld on exhibition at Artsgallery Simone Jansen. Photography by Jacqueline Fuijkschot.