Sanne de Haan likes to play with various mediums that provide room for experimentation, craftsmanship and, above all, humour. The common thread is always a search between the borders of documentation and staging, a duality that is visible throughout her practice. In addition, elevating the “art-unworthy” has become a key ingredient in Sanne’s work – a wink to the art world.

Sanne exploits thrift shop treasures. She carefully unravels old embroideries after which she hand-stitches her own ideas back in. With this meticulous work she ensures no structural differences arise; the original and the new literally intertwine. However, she revises the form and themes: shallow landscapes come with aggressive texts, the vague serenity of a biblical vision is disrupted by irrefutable obscenity, and subtle vanitases conceal unsubtle and humourous elements in their composition. She destroys the safe and simple world embroidery work usually delivers.