Porem van Mokum

The three-dimensional portrait was once reserved for people who were celebrated, usually members of the societal elite. For Porem van Mokum, the people portrayed may not all stand high on the social ladder, but they each hold a significant place in our society. They are needed and important, and an inspiration to others—just as we all can be. Porem gives these individuals a face, in both image and text.
Through a personal search—in which a (family) trauma created a distorted image of a remarkable grandmother—Porem initiator Saskia de Rooy came to understand that when we do not know one another, it can lead to prejudice and rejection. By truly getting to know one another, we discover each other’s talents and realize that we are all human beings who each contribute in our own way.
We all perceive one another differently. This becomes evident in the portraits created by seventeen different artists; after all, every sculptor has their own artistic signature. Your perception of reality is not necessarily someone else’s. Conversations help dissolve misunderstandings.
Porem van Mokum was created by many people over a period of four years. The result is presented in this book.

Saskia de Rooy
After graduating from art school, Saskia de Rooy (1968) created architectural forms that referenced the human inner world. Do you feel trapped, or rather free? And is that truly the case?—this is the question her work poses. She initially made work for sculpture gardens using a wide range of materials. After becoming a mother, her focus shifted to figurative work made primarily from ceramics. Some years later, she turned her attention to portraiture. Her social engagement resulted in Porem van Mokum, a large portrait project (Amsterdam), followed later by (in)sight; a portrait project (Carroll University, Wisconsin, USA).
Now that her children are adults, she has returned to a broad variety of materials and her works are once again increasing in scale. The role of human beings in this world remains her central theme: What does it feel like to be human, here and now? She also initiates actions that are themselves forms of art, aimed at raising awareness of—and improving—the position of women in the arts.