An adolescence, that coincided with the period in which social media took over our lives, may lie at the root of why Frieske felt the urge to ponder the virtual realm that she was born into and ponder the meanings of the images people choose to display online. Her work reflects the visual cascade of the digital universe, not only as context or material, but also in form. The transitivity of images is easy to notice, probably due to our scrolling habit, which developed while searching for online visuals or information on our smartphones. An image in the digital world migrates to the physical world in a completely different form and, in relation to other visual components moving away from its initial context, original meaning and integrity. Blurred or crisp collages fixed to close-ups seem to refer to a user’s online perception of being ‘alone’, whilst also being immersed in themselves, and serve as a means of socialising, by sharing a presence.

Frieske collects and assembles images from social media and the infinite pool of visuals on the web with the dedication of an archivist. Her collage techniques and illustrations, superimposed onto the images, occasionally give the impression of brushstrokes. She builds on her creations with what we believe to be the patience of a saint, enjoying the liberty of choosing between what she wants to reveal or conceal, to distort or deform.

‘