Marleen Sleeuwits | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 23, 1980 |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Education | Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, AKV St. Joost |
| Known for | Contemporary art, Visual arts, Photography |
| Website | Official Website |
Marleen Sleeuwits is a Dutch multidisciplinary artist known for her work at the intersection of photography, sculpture, and installation art. [1] Based in The Hague, she aims to transform ordinary architectural spaces into immersive experiences that challenge perceptions of scale, perspective and spatial reality. [2] Her work is characterized by what she terms the peau des villes (skin of cities) concept, exploring how humans relate to built environments through temporary interventions in vacant spaces. [3]
Sleeuwits has exhibited internationally with solo shows at institutions such as Fotomuseum Den Haag, [4] Kunsthal, [5] and the Centre Photographique Rouen Normandie. [6] Her work is held in collections including Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, [7] Netherlands Photo Museum, [1] and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [8] She was recognized as FOAM Talent in 2012 [9] and won the Meijburg Art Commission in 2019. [3] [10] [11]
Sleeuwits was born on 23 June in 1980 in Enschede, Netherlands. [12]
At the age of 14, she took a photography course at a local community centre, sparking her interest in photography. [13]
She studied photography at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, earning her bachelor's degree in 2001. [14] She then completed a master's degree in Photography at AKV St. Joost in Breda in 2005. [8]
Her artistic development was influenced by her exploration of what she describes as "impersonal environments" - vacant spaces such as empty office buildings, unused shopping centers, and abandoned institutional buildings that became available during economic downturns, particularly after the 2008 financial crisis. [2]
In her early career, Sleeuwits focused on photographing architectural spaces and urban environments. [15] Her artistic practice evolved from photographing spaces to physically intervening in them, and she began constructing her own spaces. [16]
In 2012, Sleeuwits was recognised as a Foam Talent by Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, a prestigious annual recognition program for emerging Dutch photographers. [1]
In 2013, She was a finalist at the International Festival of Fashion and Photography in Hyères, France. [17]
Her first major monograph, On the Soft Edge of Space, was published in 2016. [18] It featured 200 images across 276 pages with essays by Edo Dijksterhuis, Basje Boer, and Freek Lomme. De Volkskrant selected the publication as one of the best Dutch photography books of 2016. [3]
In 2019, she won the Meijburg Art Commission, an award for a site-specific work for KPMG Meijburg & Co offices. [19]
In 2021, Sleeuwits had a solo exhibition titled Isomatrix at Kunsthal in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, exploring the boundary between fiction and reality using materials such as neon lights, foil, photographic prints, and mirrors to manipulate perspective, reflection, and scale within architectural spaces. [20] The same year, She was nominated for the Prix de Rome, the Netherlands' premier art award for artists under 35. [1]
In 2023, her first solo exhibition in France, IN SITU, was held at the Centre photographique Rouen Normandie. [21]
A solo exhibition, "Enter the Cube," was held at the Fotomuseum Den Haag in 2025, in which Sleeuwits created a site-specific installation in dialogue with the work of Sol LeWitt. [4] Another solo exhibition, Re-Surface was held at Galerie Bart in Amsterdam the same year during the Amsterdam Art Week focusing on the exploration of everyday interiors and their often unnoticed aesthetics. [22]
Sleeuwits's work is distinguished by its abstract and conceptual nature. She integrates photography with sculpture and installations to alter spaces and create a sense of disorientation for the viewer. Her core themes explore the borderland between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, the transformation of everyday and generic spaces, and the use of optical illusions and the manipulation of perspective. [23]
She often incorporates common architectural elements, such as ceiling panels, insulation, and fluorescent lighting. Many of her installations are interactive, allowing viewers to navigate through the structures. Drawing inspiration from ordinary environments such as sports fields or changing rooms, Sleeuwits's art often evokes a sense of alienation in these familiar spaces. [24] [25]
Sleeuwits has been represented by Galerie Bart in Amsterdam [1] since 2019 and by Sous Les Etoiles Gallery in New York City. [14] Previous representation included LhGWR Gallery in The Hague and FeldbuschWiesnerRudolph in Berlin. [26]
Sleeuwits lives and works in The Hague, Netherlands. [12]