The title may seem like a simple question, but that question can also feel loaded, as if a person’s origin defines who they are. Here, it is deliberately written without a question mark. For Ina van Zyl, origin is personally tied to her childhood in South Africa and her life in the Netherlands. Her work is not about illustrating that history, but about how memories, bodies, and everyday objects can carry and express identity, longing, and homesickness. This first monograph highlights nearly three decades of work, from her early graphic novels to her most recent paintings. It uncovers the emergence of Van Zyl’s distinctive visual style – centred on intimacy, tension, and precision.
