Leather text embroidered slipper with a 3D-printed reclining figure (Ivo himself) as the heel, 2025.
Ivo: ‘According to a Japanese legend, everyone has three faces. The first face is the one you show the world. A shield, wrapped in a smile. The version of yourself you feel safe showing.
The second face… is for those who are close. For friends and family. They get to see more. Through small cracks in your armor, your doubts begin to shine through.
Then there’s the third face. The one no one ever sees. The one you keep deep inside. That’s who you truly are. Raw, unfiltered and pure. I struggled with that third face for a long time. Too long. I hid it. I masked it with jokes, busyness or a simple “I’m fine, really”.
Because what if I did show that part? What would people think if they saw how crowded my mind can get? How heavy my silences could be? So I kept it in. And it built up, until it became too much. Like holding my breath for months. Years. And yes, you can collapse under the weight of unspoken words. You can drown in everything you try to hide. But I didn’t collapse. I started talking. Started creating. Started breathing. Layer by layer, I came closer to that third face. Not to hide it again, but to recognise it. To give it space. And that is what makes me strong now. Not ignoring my emotions, but acknowledging them. I’m still here. Not because I never struggle, but because I’ve learned how to feel, without letting it break me.’
© Charlotte Visser for HMC Amsterdam.
