Crafts Council Nederland
Craft has traditionally relied on materials sourced from nature, but what does ‘nature’ mean in contemporary making? Drawing on practices such as woodworking, wool and flax processing, weaving, basketry, ceramics and glassblowing, alongside research-driven approaches to materials, WOW NATURE places nature at the heart of the work: as material, as process, as a source of knowledge, as a force that shapes form and as a system of which humans are themselves a part.
Almost all of the natural environment in the Netherlands is influenced or managed by humans in some way. As a result, we are becoming increasingly disconnected from what can still be considered truly natural. At a time when climate change is making the limits of our living environment visible, while technology places growing demands on energy and raw materials, Crafts Council Nederland brings the relationship between craft and nature to life with WOW NATURE, while raising a fundamental question: what can we still consider natural?
Landscape
The exhibition design, created by Scheltens & Abbenes, reinforces this perspective. They are known for their carefully composed still lifes, in which everyday objects are transformed into almost abstract images. WOW NATURE takes visitors into an artificial landscape assembled from craft objects made from natural materials. What initially appears familiar takes on a different meaning. In this way, the exhibition creates space to look anew at nature, materials and the human hand that moves between them.
Makers
Agne Kucerenkaite, Agnieszka Mazur, Ai Hashimoto, Andrea De la Peña Aguirre, Atelier LVDW, Carlotta Talkenberger, Caspar Labarre, Chiel Lubbers, Desirée Hammen, Elena Genesio, Esmé Hofman, Fabrikaat, Femke Vorselen, Forbo Flooring x Lina Chi, Foulon & Van Verrewegen, Hyunkyung Cheon, Jan Willem Klaassen, JAS&CAL, Judith Sanders, Kelly Konings, Lenny Stöpp, Margot Kat, Marieke van Heck, Matthijs Koerts, Mika Fuchs, Natasja van der Meer, Natsuko Mizushima, Nienke Sikkema, Pascale Theron, Riekje Marie Paruschke, Rik van Veen, Sharvan Prajapati, Sofie Leenen, Studio Martens & Visser, Studio Noff, The Linen Project, Thijs Smits, Yuna Kim, Zuiderzeemuseum x Jan Mooijekind
