Isamo Thissen

Isamo Thissen (b. 1998, Nijmegen) approaches the landscape as an archive of human activity.

The traces that we humans leave behind in our environment — whether directly or indirectly —

serve as both the impetus and the foundation for her work. From this core idea, she explores

the vulnerable beauty of nature in contrast to the clean lines and strange patterns that emerge

from the restructuring and optimization of the landscape. Her work forms a series of snapshots

of our constant urge to organize our surroundings, while also focusing on the labor process

itself: the repetitive actions and systems required to manage an environment. The work reveals

the hand that creates, yet simultaneously alters it irreversibly.

Thissen brings these themes to life using embroidery and quilting techniques. The slow,

meticulous creation process reflects the structure of human labor and offers a subtle critique of

the haste that characterizes our time. Because craftsmanship cannot be rushed, investing time

and manual labor forms the core of her work: a conscious act of appreciation for the subject

matter.