Diddo
Born
Diddo Velema

(1977-07-07) 7 July 1977
The Hague, The Netherlands
NationalityDutch
Known forConceptual art, Design
Notable workHigh Fashion Protection
The Cure for Greed
Ecce Animal
Websitediddo.art
High Fashion Protection: M-95 Military graded NBC Mask & Scott Promask Mask. Mixed materials
The Cure for Greed: Injection kit in mahogany wooden box featuring a 24 karat gold plated syringe and vial with a 5 ml dose of dollar ink recovered from approximately $10,000 in US currency. Dimension: 25 × 14 × 7.5 cm
Ecce Animal: Compression molded Skull made from street sourced Cocaine and Gelatin. Commissioned piece. Dimension 12 × 18 × 22 cm
In Anxiety We Trust, a series of Rorschach cards made with donated human blood (SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated and unvaccinated)

Diddo is the artist name of "Diddo Velema" (born 7 July 1977). He is a Dutch conceptual artist and designer.

Diddo is not part of a movement, although the media [1][2][3] have compared his work "Ecce Animal" to the works of Damien Hirst and the other Young British Artists (YBA).[2]

Biography

Diddo Velema studied Media Design at the Utrecht School of the Arts and obtained his MA degree in Media Design from the University of Portsmouth in 2001. He works in Amsterdam.

Themes

Diddo draws inspiration from human behaviour. Exploring space between what we think and what we allow others to think for us. His work is an attempt to define the boundary between perception and reality, and the process that turns image into icon. Personal crises are a source of inspiration, even more than major political issues.[4]

Works (selection)

High Fashion Protection

In 2008, Diddo published photos of a series of gas masks purportedly designed in collaboration with brands such as Gucci and Vuitton. In reality, it was an art project with which he aimed to connect fear and consumer culture. The artist clarifies that we are in a state of perpetual war - with ourselves and with the ecosystem that sustains us. The series consists of a "Scott Promask" mask and two variants of the 'M-95 Military NBC' mask. Although not an actual product, it was considered a logical fashion product by website commentators.[5][6][7][8][9]

Project Womb

In 2011, Diddo presented his Project Womb, a re-imagined coffin in the shape of a womb. Media storage within the coffin (and connected to the cloud) allows the deceased to save and pass on their memories. The work questions the boundaries of life and points out how technological advancements are extending our ability to effect the world after our deaths.[10]

The Cure for Greed

In 2012, he published an art object consisting of a 24-karat gold-plated syringe accompanied by a vial filled with extracted ink from currency. For the vial of ink, 10,000 dollars worth of 50 dollar bills were ground and chemically processed. In an accompanying video,[11] the artist states that he wants to start a dialogue with the object about all aspects of greed. He wonders what greed is, where it comes from, and how it shapes our personal and cultural values—and thus our future as a species.[12][13][14][15]

Ecce Animal

In 2014, Diddo introduced Ecce Animal ('Behold the animal'), a skull made with cocaine. The title of the work refers to Ecce Homo ('Behold the man'). In a statement belonging to the art object, the artist asks what becomes of the animal instincts of humans when they are no longer needed in today's society. The conflict between civilization and our animal instincts, according to the artist, is a tension between opposing forces that is alleviated by many with the use of drugs.[16] For the artwork, Diddo collected cocaine from street dealers and then had it tested for purity in a laboratory. The artwork sparked outrage from people who believe that an object made of drugs should not be called art.[1][2][3][16][17][18][19][20][21]

In Anxiety we Trust

In 2022, he presented: In Anxiety we Trust, a series of Rorschach cards made with donated human blood (SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated and unvaccinated). Like the Rorschach test, the work invites the viewer to explore their perceptions and projections. The artist questions whether in times of chaos and uncertainty, it is still possible to make informed and rational decisions when exposed to a high volume of information, misinformation and disinformation. He argues that when we are unable to rely on our decision making, we become anxious. And that this would eventually result in a choice between living in ignorance or in a constant state of anxiety. [22]

Exhibitions

His work has been exhibited at Guy Hepner gallery in New York and the Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore, among others.[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nederlandse kunstenaar trekt aandacht met cocaïne-schedel". RTL Nieuws. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  2. 1 2 3 "Artist Creates A Life-Size Human Skull Made Entirely Of Cocaine". HuffPost. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
  3. 1 2 Thomas Page. "The long trip: A potted guide to art and drugs". CNN. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  4. ↑ Jess Denham. "Dutch artist Diddo sculpts life-size human skull from cocaine". Independent. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
  5. ↑ Merlijn Schoonenboom. "'Gucci-gasmasker' tegen de consumptiecultuur". Volkskrant. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  6. ↑ Mike Yamamoto. "Gas masks for a Beverly Hills apocalypse". CNET. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  7. ↑ Jamie Clifton. "Collaborations aren't always a good idea". VICE. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  8. ↑ "Te conozco, mascarita". Clarín. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  9. ↑ "Louis Vuitton denkt ook aan rampen". RTL Nieuws. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  10. ↑ Katie Scott. "Project Womb combines technology and birth at death". Wired. Archived from the original on 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2021-06-14.
  11. ↑ Diddo. "The Cure for Greed - Making of". Retrieved 2021-06-11.[self-published]
  12. ↑ Megan Willett-Wei. "A Dutch Artist Has Come With A Creative 'Cure For Greed'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  13. ↑ Molly Oswaks. "This Re-Stabilized Pure Dollar-Ink Is Literally the Most Beautiful Waste of Money You'll Ever See". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  14. ↑ Simone Sbarbati. "Diddo e la cura contro l'avidità". Frizzifrizzi. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  15. ↑ РИЧАРД ДУБРОФСКИ. "Диддо лечит от жадности. Дорого, но эффектно". RollingStone. Archived from the original on 2012-09-20. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  16. 1 2 Alexandra Stevens. "Arena for thought". Nu-Mode. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  17. ↑ Susannah Breslin. "A Piece Of Art Made Of Crack Vials Says A Lot About America". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  18. ↑ "Un artista holandés esculpe un cráneo en cocaína para invitar a la reflexión". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  19. ↑ "Así pierde el arte la cabeza por la cocaína". El Confidencial. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  20. ↑ "Artista holandés esculpe cráneo humano hecho de cocaína". El Espectador. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  21. ↑ "Artista holandés esculpió un cráneo en cocaína para invitar a la reflexión". El Colombiano. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
  22. ↑ "Ein Blutbild der besonderen Art – "In Anxiety we Trust" von Diddo". Schoenhaesslich. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  23. ↑ "The Cure For Greed By Diddo". Guy Hepner. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
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