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Designed by Maarten Vrolijk
Maarten Vrolijk believes that art should make people’s everyday lives more beautiful through the many little details that evoke the unexpected. While strongly influenced by the natural world, Vrolijk is not on a quest to present an imitation of the “real” world, but rather, an exploration of the simple, unequivocal, and often overlooked aspects: color, form, delicacy, strength, transparency, ephemerality that provide a map to the fascinations we gravitate to when experiencing the world around us.
Working across a myriad of fine art and craft disciplines, his mixed media practice is remarkable for its consistency and fluidity. A steady line can be drawn throughout his body of work. His paintings inform his ceramics, which in turn are reflected in his textiles. The composition of his textiles is laid out with the same meticulous planning as his glass vessels. Though mostly abstracted, his subject has been primarily focused on flowers and other flora. Sometimes expressive, as in his paintings, or distinctly graphic, as in his ceramics, Vrolijk explains, “To my mind, flowers are nature’s gems and have long been a recurrent inspiration in my designs: the bold tulip, the sculpted rose, the delicate lily.
Material: Ceramics, hand build and sculpted glazed ceramics. Sculpted from natural coloured clay from various natural areas around the world. Hand stitched and painted lampshade, acrylic on jute.
Dimensions: W 55 x D 55 x H 152 cm
Weight: 45 kg
Slight variations and imperfections may apply due to a handmade production process. At OWN, we stand by these artistic choices and do not accept returns related to these intentional imperfections such as irregularities in stone or ceramics, patina on metal surfaces, wood cracking and more.
Design Year: 2023
Handmade in Netherlands
Images by Maarten Vrolijk
One-of-a-kind
(Certificate of authenticity)
About the artist
Even as a child, I was amazed by nature and what they call everyday things — the things that seemed to just pass others by, but which to me became lifelong fascinations.
I remember, for instance, the old cherry tree in my parents' garden, which in spring would unfailingly come out in a riot of pink before conjuring up its delightful red fruit. Having seen that show, I asked for a school desk in the same wonderful loud pink for my next birthday. That present remained a testimony to my wonderment at the cherry tree.
What grips me is not so much imitation of the ""real"" world. I am on a quest for the fresh image, the place where fascination becomes something visible and the design gains more worth from adding something to what already exists.
For over 25 years, Maarten Vrolijk, (1966, Oss, The Netherlands) has been one of the internationally successful artist who make do without an extroverted distancing effect in their creative work. The Amsterdam-based artist and designer considers it important to elaborate on the simple, unequivocal nature of a product. His art language is so unusual because it consciously plays with shapes, colours and materials in an uncontrived way.; they should also make people’s everyday lives that bit more beautiful through the many little details that evoke the unexpected.
Many of his works has been collected and exhibited in several renowned international museums including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Groninger Museum.