Tessa Schrama

"I weave myself a cocoon; every stitch holds me firmly in place, protecting me from what is to come. In my work, I explore how high sensitivity, protection, and transformation relate to one another. Drawing from personal experiences with overstimulation, loss, and uncertainty, I develop a visual language in which vulnerability is not hidden, but rather made tangible.

I work with layered, translucent fabrics such as organza, organic forms, and the body as a vessel of emotion. My installations navigate the space between safety and confinement: transparent enough to see through, yet too closed off to truly enter. The works function as inner spaces where feelings such as loneliness, fear, and the longing for connection become visible.

Inspired by artists such as Louise Bourgeois and Joyce Overheul, I explore how personal experiences can evolve into a universal language. As Bourgeois puts it: “Art is a guarantee of my sanity.” For me, too, art becomes a way to process and share experiences. By stimulating the viewer, I try to let them feel my experience of the world, as if they were temporarily sharing my sensory sensitivity.

The title refers to the biological cycle of metamorphosis: diapause, histogenesis, and ultimately eclosion—the moment the butterfly breaks free from the cocoon. Where protection was once necessary for survival, there is now space to create from a place of trust. And now I leave behind my exuvia, the empty cocoon. For me, art thus becomes not only a form of processing, but also a consciously chosen source of strength."