Geen glimlach zo zacht
No smile as soft, an ordinary life with an extraordinary brother
2025
Master project
A visual story about life with my extraordinary brother. We grew up together, yet very different. Jelrik is different from most people, he was born with a severe disability that keeps his mind forever young. Mentally, he is like a six-month-old baby, even though he is now 21. He is completely dependent on care and will remain so throughout his life. Therefore, he stays in a care facility during the week and comes home on weekends.
Through drawings, collages, paintings, embroidered illustrations, and fragments of text, I share who Jelrik is to me. I tell the story of our relationship and the role he plays in our family. My images focus on the connection between us, and how that bond constantly shifts between closeness and distance. There are moments of real connection, and others where he disappears into his own world. Moments when I would love to take a look inside his mind, but simply can’t.
Jelrik is not alone. There are many like him, people we rarely hear about. They grow up in families like ours, in a world that isn’t really built for them. And like them, those who care for them often remain invisible too. People like Jelrik deserve a meaningful place in our society. They deserve to be seen and heard. That’s what I hope to show through this intimate project.
- Book in a softcover version and a special edition hardcover version, hand embroidered
- Room divider with painted portraits on fabric
- Hand embroidered illustrations sewn together in a leporello format