The art work of Margriet van Breevoort (The Netherlands) traverses a delicate line between the extraordinary and the unimaginable. Van Breevoort tries to highlight a network of contradictions, encompassing the dialectic between man and nature, as well as the interplay between the organic and the technological. The boundaries that once separated animals, human-made objects, and humans themselves are becoming increasingly blurred. Human skin becomes an object, animals become human.
Employing an intensive sculpting process, involving the creation of molds and the use of specialized silicone, Van Breevoort meticulously crafts a surrealistic yet plausible world. Consequently, viewers are subtly led to ponder whether this seemingly absurd reality could, in fact, exist.
The creation of her artworks is driven by questions about authenticity. Can we still perceive something as “natural” when everything deemed as nature has been influenced and shaped by the hands of mankind?
Residing and working in Amsterdam, Margriet van Breevoort completed her studies at the Hogeschool voor de kunsten Utrecht, where she graduated with honours in 2013. Her work has gathered recognition at various international art fairs and exhibitions.
The piece titled ‘Homo refugus’ seems to oscillate between the tentative steps of learning to walk and the troubling descent into a state of stagnation. Its creation, originating from a formless mass of clay, parallels the creation narrative akin to that of Dr. Frankenstein, where the artist bestows it with a semblance of life. This creation process echoes the modern scientific breakthroughs, where researchers wield the power to craft and manipulate life itself, often starting from the barest building blocks of existence such as stem cells.
