Sterre Troquay
Netherlands, 2000
The hallway on the third floor of the Rietveld building
Show on!
In Sterre Troquay’s video installation, a seascape under blue skies sets the scene for her cast: three wellgroomed show poodles, a professional female bodybuilder and a young girl moving in and out of screen. As if viewing a series of screensavers in slow-motion, Sterre’s intention is not to construct a narrative but instead to allow her characters to propose notions of perfection and satisfying images set against more nuanced inquiries into personal states of contentment. Sterre comes closer to exploring these questions by investigating her characters more intimately. With a genuine curiosity for meeting people, Sterre spent time with Esther, gaining insight into her world of bodybuilding and her personal body ideals that stretch beyond stereotypical classifications of perfection and femininity, further implied by the inclusion of Celeste, a symbol of playful innocence. In considering Esther’s body as a costume in itself, Sterre reminds me of her childhood obsession with designing an explosion of costumes for her favourite toy bunny, Snuffy.
- Text by Michelle Son