Isabelle Andriessen
°1986 Heemstede (NL) – lives and works in Amsterdam (NL)
Isabelle Andriessen’s sculptures incorporate a wide range of media, each of which have a differing relationship with time and the environment. Earthy, prehistoric materials like ceramics are combined with metals and industrial plastics, enabling a single work to simultaneously encompass past, present, and future. Through them, the artist advocates for a greater understanding of how time affects man-made materials in varying and often unforeseen ways. The artist further dissolves separations between her work and its surroundings through elements such as scent and sound. Through this body of work, Andriessen acknowledges that objects can be productive actors in their own right, and questions art histories that privilege human subjectivity.
Andriessen’s works defy the expectations of permanence typically associated with sculpture. They sweat, set, and leak. They are also intimately connected: when one oozes a chemical substance, others respond with surface oxidation and crystallization. These changes are the result of mechanical and chemical interventions by the artist, who is interested in how materials perform and transform while being exhibited and stored. Ultimately, her sculptures operate as a living system in which individual sculptural components interact with one another in ways that exceed human mediation.
courtesy of Stedelijk, Amsterdam
Isabelle Andriessen’s work has been shown internationally, including at Stedelijk, Amsterdam; Lafayette Anticipations, Paris; Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven; CAB art centre, Brussels; Konstmuseum, Malmö and recently as part of the 15th Lyon Biennale. Isabelle Andriessen is nominated for the 2020 Volkskrant Beeldende Kunst Prijs – the most prestigious art prize in the Netherlands.
You can discover more of Isabelle Andriessen’s work on her own website.