About Van een mooi bord kun je niet eten, 2026 & Sky Burials, 2024
Fiona Lutjenhuis creates layered, spiritual fantasy worlds featuring complex patterns, floating creatures and unsettling landscapes. She grew up in a cult, where religious beliefs and supernatural tales shaped her imagination. Van een mooi bord kun je niet eten (You can’t eat off a pretty plate, 2026) refers to selective mutism, an anxiety disorder in which a person is afraid to speak in certain social situations. In her youth, Lutjenhuis felt silenced: she was expected to adopt the beliefs of others, whilst her own voice was disregarded. The laid table, viewed from above, refers to moments when she dissociated and felt as though she were floating above the table. The painting Sky Burials (2024), which lies on the laid table, depicts the stories about the end of days that were told during family meals. Air and breath take on a special significance here as the link between the earthly and the supernatural, where bodies can ascend and the boundaries between life and death blur.