KUNST EN KUNSTSTOF

For the exhibition Kunst & Kunststof at Museum De Domijnen in Sittard, which was on view in 2021, we participated with a work developed especially for the show. We created a large triptych that explores artificiality and our shifting relationship with nature. The work consists of processed aluminum panels onto which a landscape of artificial plants is pressed, referencing the format of a contemporary herbarium. The aluminum surfaces are treated with faded, computer-related imagery—pixelated, fragmented, and barely recognizable—evoking digital landscapes and the growing distance between humans and nature. Pressed on top, the plastic plants form a frozen, constructed version of nature: tactile, yet unmistakably artificial.

Our contribution resonated with the broader theme of the exhibition, which approached plastic not only as an environmental problem but also as a material full of potential. In recent years, plastic has been widely criticized as a raw material, yet many artists and designers demonstrate that it should not be dismissed as useless waste. Instead, plastic demands care, reconsideration, and reuse, offering possibilities for transformation into meaningful and lasting objects.

Kunst & Kunststof presented a wide range of perspectives on plastic, from works that treat it as a valuable resource, to research into sustainable alternatives, and even speculative projects that explore plastic within circular food systems. By bringing together artistic, critical, and experimental approaches, the exhibition highlighted the complexity of our relationship with plastic and its role in shaping both present and future landscapes.

The exhibition was curated by Leonne Cuppen (curator of the Embassy of Rethinking Plastic), in collaboration with Marcel Sloots, Marlon van Schellebeek, and Walter van Hulst, and was presented at Museum De Domijnen in Sittard.