Pieter Schoolwerth

21st September, 2025


Topic: Pieter Schoolwerth

Student : Chan Yik Fei

Student ID: 60169927


Pieter Schoolwerth is born in 1970, when the internet started to really take off. He saw the rise of the Web 1.0 and Web 2.0, he noticed now people started to adapt and interact with this new space and technology. His works has a lot to do with the space between objects and humans compared with the virtual world.


(Source:Artist talk with Pieter Schoolwerth at Kunstverein Hannover ,by Petzel Gallery, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNZFrWjbmDw 8:07)



(Source: Petzel. (March 31-May 7 2022) Pieter Schoolwerth Rigged. The Body of Work (Rigged #14) https://www.petzel.com/exhibitions/pieter-schoolwerth3 )


In The Body of Work, Pieter uses oil, acrylic and inkjet to create a portrait depicting a few people socialising outdoors. The twist here is that the picture is contorted and warped, with a humanoid figure seemingly conflating itself and climbing into the 2D space, while other people’s limbs occasionally phase into the background.


I think Schoolwerth continues to explore the theme of human identity in the digital age here. Focusing on the rectangular cutout behind the woman in denim and the humanoid figure, it resembles a TV or computer monitor does it not? The humanoid figure is forming itself from a distorted blue and white background, it reminds me of a typical windows startup screen. Ignoring the distorted space and people, if we solely focus on the brick building behind everyone, it resembles a garage of a small scale office. 


If we look closely, we can find a distorted smiling face on the humanoid figure, as well as the neck and upper-torso right below the 3D chair. I think, in relation to 2022 when this piece is made, this artwork represents a person joining an online meeting. Hence the name “The Body of Work”, as the person is constructing it’s 3D model inside this virtual office meeting, which the action of climbing or “stepping into” the humanoid figure hints at. Another aspect of the humanoid figure is the 3D teardrop shaped chair, seemingly saying “Hey, this is my seat, my space.” In this virtual office.


Overall, I believe this artwork shows a person joining the 2D virtual office space through the monitor, while the other people welcomes him as his co-workers. To me, it shows the social dynamic during the pandemic, when everything was conducted online.


During that time, our online body, our virtual counterparts represents our physical body. When the figure in the monitor greets you, it means that our physical body in reality is greeting you too. Therefore, when joining an online meeting, it’s like constructing a new virtual identity to represent us online.


I really like Schoolwerth’s way of presenting his idea. In hindsight, the image comes off as messy, a mix match of everything. However, as I look closer the shapes starts resembling familiar ideas and things. As I understand the context, every detail makes sense. It makes me curious of the story behind all these colours and artworks. If I were to create something based off of reality and virtual spaces, how objects and people interact with another form of space, I would lean closer to this form of representation.

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