A Tender Heart
EXHIBITION| Falmouth MA final show
This body of work explored salvaged wood, including old tables, scraps of plywood, and reclaimed pallets. The initial process was straightforward: I began by removing stains, mending cuts and bruises, and familiarizing myself with the new material. Each piece of wood I came across was distinct, much like every individual is unique, carrying its own quirks, mysteries, fragilities, and strengths.
Within me existed an internal cosmos populated by my own peculiar characters and stories. The Wild Ones may have appeared eerie at first, but they possessed incredibly deep and tender souls. Mama was a maternal figure who dreamed of the ability to fly. All of these characters were, in a way, fragments of myself. After reclaiming the wood, I began carving these characters into it.
"A Tender Heart" represented a collection of work that delved into these characters and stories while simultaneously honoring the wood from which they emerged. The act of creating served as a healing process for me, acting as an empathetic gateway to both myself and the world that surrounded me.
PLANQUE
EXHIBITION | London
The body of work 'Bud', was created during my artist residency at PADA Studios. I showcased this body of work through interventions within Planque's restaurant space, accompanied by a reading of my short stories.
Exhibition Text
‘Fuelled by her vivid, infectious imagination, Zoet is known for her storytelling ability – an interdisciplinary practice that conjures entire worlds and the characters that inhabit them. Her work is underpinned by narrative, and mediated through drawing, writing, singing, installations or performances: “I simply write fables and then make art about them; it helps me process my emotions and thoughts”. This exhibition takes Bud (2022) as the catalyst in curating a series of interventions, including a site-specific live drawing showcase, artist dinner, and workshop, all aligning with Planque’s ideology to “explore slower and more intentional ways to eat and drink”.
In response to the residencies’ abandoned surroundings and toxic parkland, the character of Bud comes to life. Here, the artist tests the parameters of her practice, constantly searching for new processes of making: fabrics dyed with natural pigment, hand-carved wood, and repurposing materials salvaged from local landfills. “The work speaks of the magic and beauty that lies beneath the thin crust of our busy lives, to find wonder in the familiar.” Bud’s journey explores our collective and imposed disengagement from nature and instinctive longing for it. The narrative grapples with discussions around mass production and craft, the artificial and natural, destruction and transformation – ultimately, the transformative power of creativity.’
PADA STUDIOS
EXHIBITION | PADA studios, Portugal
This body of work was created in an industrial town in Barreiro, Portugal. I was tasked with responding to the restricted and toxic area within the park. I wrote a story titled "Bud" about a crayon factory worker with a passion for creating floral headdresses. The work delves into internal and external conflicts, including those between mass production and craftsmanship, the artificial and the natural, and destruction and transformation. The materials I used were sourced from salvaged waste collected from nearby rubbish dumps. Fabrics were dyed with natural pigments, and wood was charred using a wood burner. From my perspective as an artist, this work conveys the magic and beauty that lie beneath the thin crust of our busy, consumerist modern world, inviting viewers to pause and contemplate.
