Kristin Sjaarda (b.1971) makes large-scale floral photographs with insect, flower and fauna species found near her southern Ontario home, using the paintings of Rachel Ruysch (b.1664) and the Dutch Masters “Vanitas” tradition as jumping-off points. After studying image making in Denver, Colorado, she worked as a commercial photographer before beginning her fine art practice. Now living in Toronto, she frequently collaborates with other artists, flower farmers, scientists, museums, galleries, and schools. Her work is held in numerous corporate and private collections, and she exhibits widely, most recently at the Contact Photography Festival and as an Artist in Residence in Picton, Ontario. She has been represented at Art Toronto by Smokestack Gallery for the past three years.
"Motivated by an eco-anxiety for the natural world, I photograph specimens of plants and animals as a talisman against an unknown future. Inspired by the paintings of Rachel Ruysch (b. 1664, The Hague), I also began including moss and mushrooms to evoke the forest floor in the tradition of "sottobosco" (understory) paintings. In contrast to the lush flowers in the arrangements, the lower section of the photographs features pests and bug-eaten leaves. This push-and-pull between opposites - - living and dying, light and dark, predator and prey - - is the conceptual framework and foundation for these still-life photos. In the spring, songbirds migrate through my city and collide with office buildings. I work with the head of the Royal Ontario Museum Biodiversity Department, who collects and researches these songbirds. Using the most striking varieties of flowers I make arrangements using light from a window in my home highlighting the fragility of the flowers and the feathers of the fallen birds in a manner consistent with Northern Renaissance painting from the 17th century.While the historical artworks were made in an era of expansion and exploitation, my images are modern in technique. Using a digital camera and only local flora and fauna, I strive to document and preserve what is now threatened by climate change.The images are a reflection of both my Dutch immigrant background and the city where I live and are presented at a larger-than-life scale to render these fragile subjects in a manner that is powerful, provocative, and immersive." -Kristin Sjaarda, 2026
Detail: Lid off a Daffodil, Palindrome Series
“In Sjaarda’s recent works, vanitas is no longer a symbolic reminder of the inherent transience of solely human mortality, but rather looks farther outward instead – an admonition to respect and preserve the ecosystem and environment at large that supports human existence itself.” -Tara Westermann, curator
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Contact Kristin here or email directly k.sjaarda@gmail.com