10 artists working with uncommon materials

Atena Abrahimia

Monday 14 October, 2024

To give you a glimpse into the innovative spirit of contemporary art, we’ve gathered a selection of artists who use uncommon materials such as keyboard keys, slate or fishing nets to create their work.

Read on to explore the distinctive practices of ten artists redefining what art can be through the materials they choose.

SILICONE

Levente Radvánszki | Nagyházi Contemporary

In his unusual practice, Levente Radvánszki deals with the reinterpretation of painting gestures in classical works. The artist applies the elements created from synthetic material, such as silicone, in a way that still appears organic. He deals with multiple surfaces and is concerned with the different ways of interpreting reality. On the two-dimensional surface the shapes often wind like waves to or from the centre of the image, while other elements, such as reminiscent beehives and prickly plants, can be seen at the corners of the works. 

FISHING NETS & ROPES

Joana Schneider | Rademakers Gallery

Joana Schneider creates spacious installations and sculptural environments that present a sustainable contact with organic materials, all whilst shedding light on local creativity and industry. Her playful use of exceptional materials merges with her love for textile craft. Techniques such as embroidery, passementerie and tapestry making became her speciality. She combines these skills with the traditional technique of net making, such as the sailmaker‘s palm, pluis netting and dolly knotting. Joana gave herself the restriction to only work with existing and recycled materials from the very beginning. This might be rope and fishing nets, but also old, upcycled furniture.

OIL PLASTIC

Stefan Gross| Chiefs & Spirits

Stefan Gross apprenticed as a practitioner of stained glass manufacture. During his apprenticeship he was surrounded by coloured glass and learned to think in colour. In 2006, he first developed a material of his own that he now predominantly uses in his work. ‘Oil plastic’ results from dyeing an industrial plastic with classic oil paints. Acting as both surface and paint, it enables Stefan Gross to extend the painted surface three-dimensionally. ‘Oil plastic’ is translucent and behaves, at a relatively low temperature, like glass. In his work, Stefan Gross depicts, in a colourful way, the fall of a society based on growth. “The world is a serious place these days. This is a problem I address in my work.” He shows the beauty and potential of industrial production.

EPOXY RESIN

Sebastiaan Straatsma| Post Modern Collection

Fascinated by classic archetypical ceramic vases, Sebastiaan Straatsma started challenging the recognizability of their form, function, material and history. This led to the ever-growing series of unique and handmade ‘Dustcollector’ vases made from coloured epoxy resin. ‘Dustcollector’ refers to the non-functionality of these vases, which Straatsma has taken as a starting point for his translation. Straatsma has developed his own unique, technique. With each vase he follows a process – from an idea, a collage or sketch, to preparing a mould, mixing colours and then forming the vase by drawing, splattering and squirting the epoxy resin. This is a material he very much enjoys working with with endless possibilities for construction and decoration.

COMPUTER PARTS

Oliver Lannaud | Xin Art Galerie

Olivier Lannaud’s portraits seem torn between the quest for spirituality and the need to consume. He uses recycled and found computer parts in his fascinating practice. With his series ‘Memosaïque’, he revisits the portraits of our ancient and modern mythology. By using computer keyboard keys on the basis of a very old technique, he thus develops a form of pointillism: a sort of ‘object painting’.

NATURAL MATERIALS (FEATHERS, DANDELIONS, ETC)

Hilde Trip | Galerie Année

Hilde Trip creates wall artworks from natural materials. Nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Hilde, where each season brings new surprises and resources. In her work, the organic lines of nature are combined and rearranged with modern materials. This creates a field of tension in her work that not only emphasises the beauty and vulnerability of nature, but also its strength. By processing transient materials into permanent wall objects, Hilde gives us a new view on the natural world we all inhabit.

CONCRETE COMBINED WITH NEON, CERAMICS AND MORE

Sander Buijk | Gallery Untitled

Sander Buijks’ remarkably friendly yet tough sculptures are a constant eye-catcher. Sander’s work is known for its unique and contrasting use of materials. The comic-like figures are tough and fragile, caricatured and vulnerable, emotional and closed. His use of materials is unorthodox. He effortlessly combines concrete with neon, polished aluminum, glass, bronze or ceramics.

CARDBOARD

Toni Alfano | Palma Arte

Toni Alfano’s paintings are made on cardboard covered with a thin layer of concrete. A slow layering of tempera paint recreates the effect of a supposedly repainted wall. The figures are made in charcoal and bitumen glazes. The step of the process is called Descialbo: an ancient restoration technique that means removing the layer of paint from the plaster with a hammer, spatula or scalpel.

SLATE

Michiel Jansen | Gallery 40NL

Michiel Jansen is intrigued by the sculptural possibilities of slate, a fine-grained foliated metamorphic rock type. He rearranges the layers of the material and creates new shapes from it, often inspired by nature, although he also investigates the effects of geometric contrast in his sculptures. Through a laborious process of cutting, chopping, shearing, kitting, drilling, inserting structural support and grinding, he creates objects that often are characterised by a compact static appearance or a more open rhythmic composition. He regularly adds pure, intensely coloured pigments to his work giving an extra dimension to the grey-black natural colour of the slate.

COVID ANTIGEN TESTS

Jet Naftaniel-Joëls |denieuwegalerie

Jet Naftaniel-Joëls creates art and jewellery out of found objects and waste materials such as plastic, old textile, empty coffee tabs and, more recently, COVID antigen tests. These materials are given a new purpose through her work. She finds it important that her art stimulates the creativity of the viewer. Any material that is carelessly put in the trash gets a second life. In this way, she wishes to make a small contribution to a better environment.

These works demonstrate how unconventional materials can open new avenues for artistic expression and challenge our expectations of contemporary art. So, next time you’re wandering the aisles, watch for creators who push boundaries with their art!

Author

Atena Abrahimia

Co-Fair Director

Atena is Co-Fair Director for our Amsterdam and Brussels fairs. With a passion for contemporary art, Atena studied Culture Studies in Lisbon and Curatorial studies in Gent.