Tangled in Sweetness - Series

In Dutch, cake is both a soft, sweet treat and an insulting term for women. This double meaning inspired my series Tangled in Sweetness, in which women wear real cakes as hats, partially obscuring their eyes. By disrupting the conventions of the classic portrait, the work shifts the focus from appearance to posture, tension, and presence. Many viewers only realize later that the objects are cakes — an element that gently unsettles expectations.

My work explores how women are viewed, shaped, and judged within visual culture. Despite the concealment, the women remain fully visible through their expression. Their strength, vulnerability, and character emerge through posture and body language. The series invites a more attentive way of looking, questioning the taken-for-granted ways in which women are seen, represented, and assessed, while they unmistakably claim their space.