the nature of Sjoerd Buijman

April 20 to October 13, 2024

In The nature of Sjoerd Buisman, the work of visual artist Sjoerd Buisman (1948, Gorinchem) is central. Buisman, a pioneer in experimenting with natural materials, invites the viewer to look at nature in an innovative way. The exhibition includes carefully selected works, ranging from his most recent works to pieces from his early oeuvre, giving visitors not only insight into his artistic development, but also confronted with the urgency of his theme: the fragility of nature and the necessity to live in harmony with her.

Sjoerd Buisman

De Haarlemmer Sjoerd Buisman is a sculptor, draftsman and conceptual artist and has worked in Amsterdam, Normandy and Haarlem. Buisman trained at the Academy of Visual Arts in Rotterdam (1965-1967) and at Ateliers '63 in Haarlem. He has built up an impressive oeuvre and is included in important (inter)national art collections. He was the first Dutch artist to experiment with natural materials in addition to traditional bronze, wood and stone, and has appeared on several prominent art stages, including the Venice Biennale in 1978.

Nature as inspiration

Nature is an important source of inspiration in Buisman's work. Since the 1960s he has been studying botanical growths and growth processes of trees and plants. During his world travels he recorded these in photos, drawings and texts. He concluded that nature can be manipulated, but always follows its own laws. Many of Buisman's works are based on phyllotaxis, the spiral arrangement of leaves or stems of a plant. For him, the growth spiral represents order and law in the apparent chaos and randomness of nature. He elaborates the form in schematic drawings and in series of sculptures with different materials such as wood, bitumen, polyester, cellulose and bronze. Buisman also manipulates nature in a literal sense by grafting cacti together and stringing up pumpkins. He also allows trees and plants to grow in large-scale 'growth sculptures' in shapes he determines. After Buisman's interventions, nature initiates a growth or recovery process, causing the work to develop before the eyes of the viewer.

Can be seen in the exhibition

The nature of Sjoerd Buisman offers a rich collection of sculptures from different periods, as well as a variety of photographs, sketchbooks and drawings that provide insight into Buisman's creative process. His images are not simple representations of nature, but rather his own interpretation of its intrinsic properties. He recognizes that he himself is part of nature and emphasizes the need to live in harmony with it, especially given the current threats to natural resources. The nature of Sjoerd Buisman confronts us with questions about our influence on and the fixed rules of nature, and challenges the viewer to look at nature in an innovative way.

The nature of Sjoerd Buisman is compiled by curator Caroline Rootliep, exhibition maker Cathelijne Brouwer, Sjoerd Buisman and Wim van Krimpen. And was made possible in part by the Cultural Stimulation Fund Haarlem, the JC Ruigrok Foundation, the Kees Verwey Foundation and friends.

Click here the photos of the opening

Lecture – special growth forms in nature
Friday, May 10 from 16.00:18.00 PM - XNUMX:XNUMX PM.

Read here .