Kalkidan Hoex

(She/Her, Netherlands)

“It's not about becoming, famous or rich, it's knowing that I was effective.” -POWER

TheNEWtribe - Kalkidan Hoex

Imagery is very powerful and can carry various meanings, sometimes even the opposite ones. True meaning can’t be fixed but I always like to challenge the representational practices in my illustrations and comic book, expose prejudices still existing in the Western society and finally empower those falling victim to these prejudices. I convey my comic book story using various plot devices, visual narratives, and different textual and visual hints. I use the same methode in my illustrative work and so encourage self-reflection within the audience.

The jewelry represented in my illustrations sends a strong signal about whom you, as a buyer, identify with and what subculture you feel connected to. It also gives a lot of information about what the jewelry pieces represents and its story is about.

Representational power plays a significant role in the many ways people are illustrated in my drawings. Wearing the Jewelry pieces in a way that it can be perceived as a wearable sign of political affiliation, as a social statement. As a visible sign of one’s social position, I find it only natural that jewelry plays a substantial role in the practice of enacting power. And that my jewelry pieces and illustrations go hand in hand in telling my stories.

How I visualize my jewelry on people is a very conscious decision. They portray real people in there every day context. My stories often reflect the reality of societal aspects. And like to capture that in imagery. Creating Video content that is another layer where I explore the the relation between representation, jewelry and music. These elements combined create a perspective that I want to translate to my audience and tell the Story of my jewelry pieces in a different layer once more.