Jan Banning

Moroccan Girl (Nissrine) Reading the Application Form for an Inburgeringscursus (Citizenship Course) in front of a Closed Window

Archival pigment (Giclée) print
33 x 45 cm
Edition of 20

Price: (SOLD OUT)

This picture is a contemporary take on Johannes Vermeer’s painting Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (collection Gemäldegalerie, Dresden). It was made in the Catharijneconvent, a museum in Utrecht.

Artist Statement

Jan Banning: ’Xenophobia, and especially islamophobia, is on the rise in many European countries. Given these circumstances, I feel it is important to take a stand on these developments in European society, and mobilise against intolerance and narrow-mindedness. In the series National Identities,  I give immigrants a main role by using them as models in my photographic variations on classic iconic paintings, which have become national cultural symbols,. By doing this, I question the concept of homogeneous national identities in European countries.’