Attractiveness: Chasing Attractiveness at Vail’s Christopher Martin Gallery

For Dutch photographer Isabelle van Zeijl, self-portraits have always instilled a sense of self-identity and empowerment, especially when she’s needed it most.

“The fact that I make self-portraiture is born out of the fact that I grew up in a troubled home with a lot of violence,” says the 44-year-old artist. “I needed to hang on to who I truly was. I also started to look toward beauty. I healed myself through my work. I believe when you surround yourself with beauty, it has a purifying effect.”

When Van Zeijl became a professional artist, this effect extended to individuals all over the world who viewed her work.

“When I started to exhibit and show my work internationally, collectors told me they wanted to surround themselves with it,” she says. “They were going through hard times and the beauty lifted them up. It’s the biggest compliment from people who see my work, that they feel better when they look at it. In every crisis, there’s beauty to be found. In every difficult situation, there is a gift.”

In the self-portraits, Van Zeijl often depicts herself with an expression that is open yet ambivalent. In many pieces, she looks serene, in others, amused or pensive. Sometimes her face is hidden altogether. She is frequently adorned with flowers, veils or whimsical headpieces. Her work has been heralded in Forbes, Wall Street International and on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar.

Her Rebirth of the Dutch Flower collection, created in 2020 when the COVID-19 had a devastating impact on The Netherlands’ flower industry, features Van Zeijl encircled in orchids and roses salvaged from local growers.

“I went to those growers and took as many flowers as I could hold,” she recalls. “I wanted to bring a positive message, a message about rebirth. Again, that there’s beauty to be found in every crisis.”

The Moonshot Collection was inspired and created in Colorado. Having previously found solace through horse therapy during her troubled past, Van Zeijl embarked on an adventurous journey in 2019, determined to set eyes on the wild horses that wander Colorado’s Western Slope.

“Horses mirror your deepest fears. In order to calm a horse or be there for a horse, you have to overcome your own anxieties and insecurities,” she says. “We looked for the wild horses for six hours. When we found them, I said, how close can we get? I had my camera and got within a meter of them. The guide said, how’d you do that? I said, I don’t know. Maybe it’s surrendering. Maybe it’s being at peace with yourself and communicating that to the horses.”

Van Zeijl rode the fresh wave of courage from this experience to a friend’s ranch in Aspen – Moonshot Ranch – where she created the series. She spent a week photographing herself at night, bravely incorporating a couple of horses from the ranch – one black and one white – into her nude self-portraiture.

“I was shooting the horses for this series in a barn in the middle of the night with a full moon outside. I was out of my comfort zone. I think by surrendering to this whole uncertainty, that’s where the magic came in. People are so surprised by these poses. The horse’s big head is lying in my hand. His leg is one step away from my naked toes. I got those by surrendering myself in the moment.”

Embarking on this experience was something Van Zeiji would have indeed classified as a moonshot – or, an extreme longshot.

“For me, this seemed like mission impossible,” she says. “Before I worked with horses, I was overwhelmed by their power and dominance. I was always afraid of horses, but it’s true what people say; that where you’re afraid lies your greatest potential for growth. The moment I got so close to that horse, I learned that I can do this. You have to let your guard down to make a connection. The Moonshot Series is hopefully an inspiration for people to go after their own moonshot, a reminder that anything is possible.”

An Afternoon with Isabelle

Join Van Zeijl during her inaugural visit to Vail for an Afternoon with Isabelle at Christopher Martin Gallery at 100 E. Meadow Dr. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 21, featuring  music, food and open bar. For more information, call (970) 470-4535.