The King is traditionally the most important piece on the board, yet his movement is remarkably limited. His power exists largely through the role assigned to him.
The King and Queen share an almost identical silhouette. Rather than separating them through obvious masculine and feminine codes, Vaessen questions why these roles need to look different at all. Who is the King without the Queen — and who is the Queen beyond the role she has been given?
These chess pieces are not made to be played with. Each piece is a sculptural character, exploring the human roles we perform, inherit and sometimes question.
Made from naturally vegetable-tanned leather, each piece is individually shaped and coloured through Dirk Vaessen’s own experimental colour processes. Waste materials are used wherever possible as pigment sources, giving the leather its unique and unpredictable surface.
Each piece is handmade by Dirk Vaessen in limited editions.
