Martin de Jong 

Lives and works in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands

It is a resolute but also necessary step. The transition from painting to spatial work. After a long time, a repetition of moves began to emerge — a methodical way of painting. Consciousness increasingly got in the way.

After the death of his father, he received his woodworking tools. This offered an opportunity to approach the theme of “The City” in a different way — more from action, responding to what unfolds.
The first spatial works are essentially sawed drawings — with an unsteady hand — yet at the same time objects, tangible and solid. He found this tension between two- and three-dimensionality intriguing, to work between the illusion of representation and the reality of the wooden object. Working with his hands, shaping materials, has become a calming focal point in the process.

While wood remains important, other found materials are playing an increasingly prominent role in the creation of new work. There are often moments of hesitation — whether to intervene or let the object speak for itself. Found objects hold a particular appeal because time has left its traces on them.

To what extent does a work of art create itself? And how much of the final result is the artist’s doing? Perhaps, in the end, he is merely the director, observing and recording what takes place.

link naar website van de kunstenaar

Instagram: @ateliermartindejong