
Rob van ’t Zelfde (The Hague, 1949) studied at the Vrije Academie in The Hague and was trained in Rotterdam to become a silversmith. He also worked als a teacher, among others at the Volksuniversiteit in Leiden. For more then 30 years, his work - photo's, paintings and sculptures - have been regularly exhibited in various Dutch cities. His work has been purchased by the Stedelijk Museum 'de Lakenhal' and the municipality of Leiden, and also enrich the collections of private collectors in The Netherlands and abroad. At the moment he is focused on art photography.
For the series 'Frozen' Rob van 't Zelfde has frozen dolls which he subsequently photographed. The photographs are not digitally processed.
"The images are in a twilight between visibility and invisibility. Being and non-being, identity and image, beauty and transience. The frozen Barbie doll, as a metaphor, cult object, a reference to idols from antiquity and from this era: Maria, the 24.000 years old Venus of Willendorf, images of the Cyclades, Marilyn Monroe, Doutzen Kroes, etc."