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For over 25 years, Maarten Vrolijk, (1966, Oss, The Netherlands) has been one of the internationally successful artists 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.

Vrolijk is perhaps best known for glass vessels with their outgrowth of colored glass fragments. The volatility in accomplishing the exceptional thickness of his vases creates a risky balance between strength and delicacy. The thermal stress caused when trying to equalize the interior and exterior temperature of the cooling vessels, is fraught with the threat of breakage.

The success of these pieces lies in the crystalline clarity posed against their substantial physical impact. To create each piece, a meticulously patterned bed of broken glass pieces is strategically laid down and heated to a specific temperature in order to be properly fused to a nascent blown glass form. The temperature and timing must be precisely in tandem. It is a high-stakes process that results in a kind of frozen sense of chaos.

Exhibitions
2024
May - Cromwell Place (solo), Vessel Gallery – London, England
April - Galleri Glass (solo) – Stockholm, Sweden
April - PAD Paris, Galerie Scene Ouverte – Paris, France
April - Todd Merrill Studio – New York, USA
April - Atkris Studio – Haaften, the Netherlands
March - Objects With Narratives, The Grand Sablon – Brussels, Belgium
February - Collect London, Vessel Gallery – London, England
February - Bergdorf Goodman, New York Fashion Week, Todd Merrill Studio – New York, USA
2023
December - Design Miami, Todd Merrill Studio – Miami, USA
November - Salon Art + Design, Todd Merrill Studio – New York, USA
October - PAD London, Galerie Scene Ouverte – London, England
August - Intersect Aspen, Todd Merrill Studio – Aspen, USA
July - Hotel de Crillon – Paris, France
June - Design Miami Basel, Galerie Scene Ouverte – Basel, Switzerland
April - Bergdorf Goodman – New York, USA
April - PAD Paris Design + Art, Galerie Scene Ouverte – Paris, France
March - Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, Todd Merrill Studio – West Palm Beach, USA
March - The Value in Things, Vessel Gallery – London, England
January - Quelque chose d´Irréel, Galerie Scene Ouverte – Paris, France
2022
December - Design Miami, Todd Merrill Studio – Miami, USA
November - Salon Art + Design, Todd Merrill Studio – New York, USA
October - PAD London Design + Art, Galerie Scene Ouverte – London, England
July - Bergdorf Goodman, Todd Merrill Studio – New York, USA
June - Galerie Scene Ouverte – Paris, France
June - Design Miami Basel “The Golden Age”, curated by Maria Cristina Didero – Basel, Switzerland
June - Design Miami Basel, Todd Merrill Studio & Galerie Scene Ouverte – Basel, Switzerland
May - Artefact London, Vessel Gallery – London, England
April - Bergdorf Goodman – Design Lab, Todd Merrill Studio – New York, USA
April - PAD Paris, Galerie Scene Ouverte – Paris, France
2021
December - Design Miami – Miami Beach, USA
November - Nu Art & Design – Woerden, Netherlands
November - Salon Art + Design – New York, USA
October - PAD London – London, England
September - Design Miami Basel – Basel, Switzerland
June - Artefact, Vessel Gallery – London, England
March - Galerie Scene Ouverte – Paris, France
February - Collect London, Vessel Gallery (Online & Artsy) – London, England
January - Crafting a Difference, Vessel Gallery at SoShiro – London, England
January - London Art Fair – Platform, Vessel Gallery (Online & Artsy) – London, England

Maarten Vrolijk's Objects

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