Jan Hoek
Sweet Crazies # 5, 2011
C-print, 7/8Size: 61 x 40 cm
Edition of 8 plus 2 artist's proofs
Jan Hoek made this picture in Addis Ababa. Serie ‘Sweet Crazies’, local nickname for the mentally ill vagabonds , living in the streets. Hoek thought it was fascinating that the people who pass for crazy people there, could easily go on the catwalk here with their colourfull outfits.
Jan Hoek ‘Sweet Crazies’
Foam #SweetCreazy
Jan Hoek is a visual artist whose work often reveals a special yet ambiguous relationship between the photographer and his models. His series document his encounters with people, exposing simultaneously the weird, funny, painful, or touching stories that arose in this context. This portrait is taken from the series Sweet Crazies: a colloquial name given to Ethiopia’s homeless who suffer mental illnesses. Hoek was initially attracted to their curious and flamboyant fashion style, which reminded him of kings or emperors. The photoshoot created space to acknowledge and play with the royal feeling exuding from these remarkable individuals.
Adopting a unique approach to his work, Hoek always leaves room for the unexpected, as well as for the unwanted. He crosses traditional boundaries and challenges viewers, introducing us to the unconventional characters that became his models.
