About Maartje Folkeringa

Maartje Folkeringa (1978) studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy (bachelor) and the Sandberg Institute (master), both in Amsterdam. She attended artist-in-residence programs at Instituto Buena Bista, Curaçao; Make, Eindhoven; and the European Ceramic Centre in Oisterwijk. Since 2014 Folkeringa lectures fine art at the HKU, Utrecht.

Maartje Folkeringa's work stems from a fascination with human behaviour, especially complicated processes that can take place between people or within a single person. Examples are the fear of missing out, complex unwritten rules, the drive for uniqueness and the desire for affirmation. Learning new crafts is a recurring element in her artistic practice. She currently works with ceramics, textiles and metal. Folkeringa works labour-intensive, which contrasts with the speed of the present day. While making, intuition, association, concentration, and meditative work processes play an important role. Materials, colour combinations, texture, form, contrasts and in between space are indispensable ingredients for her tactile universe.

Until 2010, her fascination with human behaviour expressed itself in the series Individuals, in which she figuratively depicted human figures. These figures (from 50 to 240 cm in height) are aware of their surroundings, and a lot is happening in their head.

From 2010, self-presentation, (unconscious) conformism and unwritten social rules embodied in things we identify with play a central role. Folkeringa's observations of externals as a means of communication are starting points for series such as showroom bling bling, de beste (the best), het hoogste punt (the highest point), display premium and copycat.

Since 2020, while working on a series called afleiding als aanleiding (distraction as a cause), her focus has shifted from the outer to the inner and the visible to the invisible.

Works have been exhibited in the Netherlands and abroad and are part of collections like Museum Jan Cunen, Oss; AkzoNobel Art Foundation; Curaçao Centre for Contemporary Art, Curaçao, NA; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Erasmus University, Rotterdam; SKY culture, Foshan, China; and private collections.

Contact

Maartje Folkeringa
Studio: Oude Haagseweg 121a
1066 DC Amsterdam
email@maartjefolkeringa.nl

Download CV