© Satijn Panyigay
Tot Zover
Behind Death’s Door
Museum Tot Zover has become the proud owner of Satijn Panyigay's photo series "Behind Death's Door" (2011). These melancholic photos provide a glimpse into the homes of the recently deceased. The photos are hermetic, there is no contact with the outside world, resulting in an atmosphere of loneliness and nostalgia.
When someone dies, you can choose to hire a company that vacates their home. This often happens if a person no longer has a family, or if the family does not want or cannot do this themselves. Panyigay has gone on several visits with such an estate clearing company to investigate death further and record various houses. Trivial objects show the last vestiges of a past life. Traces are removed. A foreshadowing of the blurring of memories. The ultimate sinking into absolute oblivion is the frightening fate of every individual.
Beauty of gravity
Satin Panyigay about her photos: “My work is a reflection of my soul. I use it as therapy, so every difficult emotion I experience is framed. I want to get the most positive out of the heavy things in life. People generally don't want to talk about death. We are getting older, things are falling apart, that is part of life. I understand that it is difficult, but I want to show that there is also beauty in experiencing heaviness. ”
About Satijn Panyigay
Panyigay (1988) studied photography at the Utrecht School of the Arts. Her photos are all about decay, emptiness, loneliness and melancholy. She recently self-published the book Behind Death's Door and earlier the book Shades of Gray, about the death of her mother. Satin Panyigay is represented by Galerie Caroline O'Breen. Her work has previously been shown in the Amsterdam Center for Photography, the Center for Visual Arts, Art Rotterdam, Photo Off in Paris, UNSEEN Photo Fair in Amsterdam and Amsterdam Art Fair. Behind Death's Door was shown in Tot Zover in 2011/12 during the Afterlife exhibition.