(1954) Belgium
With her art works about the First and Second World War, Wies Janssen aims to ensure that the sorrow from that period is never forgotten. Above all, because of the suffering of the many who lived through these horrific times. The artist is quickly moved by injustice in the world. Janssen investigates her themes meticulously, her curious mind wants to know all there is to know about a subject. She only stops when the work of art becomes visible in her mind. With great patience, she then spends an average of one year working on a piece. For the works of art in this collection, she visited historic cemeteries where thousands of soldiers are buried; she collected DVDs and videos; at flea markets she found the medals she needed, adding them to her own collection of medals that she inherited from her family and incorporating them into her works as a direct witness from the war. Her eye for detail, but also her perseverance, result in magnificent works of art. It is a quest that became visible, a past seen through the eyes of a unique woman.
