About
Elleke
Hageman makes what she calls ‘natural artefacts’ – biomorphic
structures and assemblages that inhabit a realm between the natural
and the constructed. Influenced
by her strong personal views on environmentalism – referencing
both the interdependency of species and notions of the marvelous –
Hageman uses mixed media techniques to create sculptures, collages
and jewellery that explore the subjective separation of nature from
anthropogenic systems and critique humanity’s often exploitative
relationship to the ecological.
Her
current explorations reference some of nature’s most fragile and
precious ecosystems. Introducing them within the context of art and
design, she opens up a juxtaposing narrative between ‘inherent’
preciousness and the often subjective societal systems of value
creation. Hageman’s compositions ultimately create deep tensions
that speak to society’s subjugation of the natural, as well as the
potential for future symbiotic co-existence.
Elleke's
work is situated in between different creative fields, she sees
borders in between disciplines as a playground with endless
possibilities for experimentation. Her
mixed media works embrace bold, rich colors and materials that speak
to the vigor and vivacity of nature, their often free and curving
forms retaining a sense of organic fragility intuitively expressed
through formal and material qualities. In
her practice focussing on creating little environmental impact she
chooses to work with materials and constructions that are durable,
ethical and of high quality.
Elleke
Hageman is a Dutch artist and designer currently living and working
in Melbourne Australia. She has completed a residency at the
prestigious Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam and
finished a Masters degree in design at the Piet Zwart Institute in
Rotterdam, both in the Netherlands. She has been awarded grants from
the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and the Van Bijleveltstichting.