© photo above by Joke Schut Photography at my studio in Zaandam

© photo below by Marie de Vreede at my residency in Hoofddorp

at work at residency @ginds_hoofddorp

CV

my work is a selfish project. Sculpture serves as a remedy against discomfort, shame, and ugliness that I encounter. Through my work, I attempt to capture how something repulsive can transform into something useful, bearable, or sometimes beautiful, by exaggerating the ugliness. Illness, filth, uselessness, decomposition, confusion – the things that evoke fear – I seek them out within myself, in other living beings, on the streets, bring them to the surface, mold them into an image, and give them consciousness – often, notably, in animal form. My sources of inspiration include skeletons, babies, (dead) ungulated animals, chickens, reptiles and hospitals.

With a background in existential philosophy and psychoanalysis I find it fascinating to explore how the suppressed can be made visible and the dead brought to life. Sometimes it takes months or even years before a work finds its final form. It is always a process of destruction and reconstruction, working in circles, until it suddenly ends, becomes "finished" finding a remedy against ugliness itself, even just for a moment.

Materials

my materials are mostly intertwined with my interest in decay. Malleable, spit out, sticky materials, mud, pulp from old newspapers or toilet paper, sheep excrements, that which is already present and has a history, supplemented with glue, textiles, metal, paint.

Exhibitions & Projects

  • 2025 (sept) Woest & Bijster. Art festival at de Veluwe. 12 meter metal lizzard sculpture

  • 2024 (September-present): Group exhibition - two sheep sculptures at Broedplaats de Hoop (with Anton Shirkin, Johannes Hogenbrink, Fabien Gruau)

  • 2024: "Ex Creme" solo exhibition as result of Artist In Residency at the ammunition bunker / battery at Sloterweg (GinDs: Genie in de Stelling) in Hoofddorp

  • 2024: Opsmuk Amsterdam: publication of drawings and sculptural work (badinkel.nl)

  • 2023: De Hoopening - Broedplaats de Hoop - exhibition with a completely white space containing my sculptures and a silent disco

  • 2023: Vitra Turkiye - Istanbul UniCera 2022 - four-day exhibition of large red female sculpture

  • 2022-present: Tiftix Istanbul: exhibition of several sculptures (marshmallow chair + large red female figure)

  • 2022: Tiftix Amsterdam: exhibition of several sculptures in the showroom

  • 2022: Ruigoord Amsterdam: 'We are not allowed to go in church', exhibition during October Moon Festival

  • 2021: Philosophy Festival Drift: exhibition of various sculptures and paintings throughout the public spaces of the festival (with Marie de Vreede and Nick Ouwehand)

  • 2021: Plan B project space - summer exhibition 'State of Decay' with Marie de Vreede & Nick Ouwehand

  • 2021: Filmtheater Kriterion - lockdown exhibition 'State of Decay' Three-month moving exhibition throughout the empty building. Filling the empty cinema with masks made of papier-mâché pulp from unread film magazines. With Marie de Vreede & Nick Ouwehand

  • 2021: Rietveld Academy: lockdown exhibition with Marie de Vreede in cafeteria

  • 2020: Kriterion Amsterdam group exhibition

  • 2020: Publication in Filosofie & Praktijk "A Contemporary Conversation" with Tim van Heuven

  • 2018-2020: Poster design for Kriterion Amsterdam