Maaijke Middelbeek
1979, Nijmegen NL
Currently lives & works in Vienna AT
My work crosses the disciplines of art (installation, sculpture & textiles) and biology. The last one grew in my interests and research. As a counter reaction to our consumerism and the remaining waste and destruction I started to work with living organisms, that are breathing, transforming, here for a moment. Artworks that are not necessarily created to last or to be preserved. With the awareness that every species and relationship within the network of life has meaning and seeing this web change and unravel by human doing, I grew feelings of care and responsibility as an artist and questioned my work and it's relation to life on a damaged planet. I longed to work with life's great connectors, with symbionts, in order to understand them better and learn from them.
Currently I work with and care for different organisms in my studio-lab, such as fungi, algae or SCOBY (Symbiotic Cultures Of Bacteria & Yeast). Besides I make research on bio-cellulose and on the process of decomposing textile waste, linked to my background in fashion & textile design.
BACKGROUND
I studied Fashion & Textile design at AMFI - Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (1999 - 2003, BA). After graduating I worked in different fields of the fashion industry, mostly in journalism (e.g. L’Officiel NL) and copywriting (e.g. Press Only PR). I experienced the rapid change in a volatile fast-fashion-industry and soon felt the need to tell different contradictory stories, in addition I longed to devote myself to more autonomous and conceptual work. In Vienna I found a fruitful base to grow art and set up exhibitions.
EXHIBITIONS:
2023
Künstlerhaus Wien, exhibition with the other selected artists from the 'On the road again' Call from the Österreichische Kulturforen
2022
Solo exhibition with Österreichische Kulturforum Zagreb, BMEIA Außenministerium
POROUS PROJECTIONS May 05th - June 30th, in Afro-Asiatsisches Institut Graz
OTHER-MOTHER photo exhibition in collaboration with M2 Veronika Korbei part of Foto Wien
2021
Postponed: MY ARTIFICIAL WOMB Nov. 24-27th Galerie AG18 part of 'Precarious Circumstances' with QM&A. From May to Nov. 2021 I joined the Question Me & Answer artist collective. During these months I made research on SCOBY.
REACTIVE FUNGI WEARABLE at Red Carpet Showroom Karplsplatz during July'21. Collaboration with Question Me & Answer.
2020
TERRAIN VAGUE in Galerie SPZ Prague with Kunstraum Super Oct. 29 - Nov. 20, 2020
August 26 Gugging Sommerfest: drawing Tastsinn for #freudebereiten
My mushroom & mycelium drawings + Tastes like Honey
July 2020, Research Residency Künst in der Natur
2019
December 2019 to March 2020 Banner at Galerie SPZ Prague
Kunstraum Super Vienna invited me to design a flag as an announcement for an upcoming show in Galerie SPZ in Prague. Every 3 months SPZ selects a new artist to make a design for the flagpole.
July 5 - August 8, 2019 Transitionen
Group show with Kunstraum Super in Antichambre Düsseldorf.
2018
September 25th - 30th. From one skin to another
Parallel Vienna, a Project Statement with Basement Autonomes Kunstraum. Duo exhibition with artist Christina Boula.
2017
May - June 2017. Geschichten aus Schichten
With Format.strk Vienna. Duo show with New Media artist Kevin Daryl Ferdinandus.
Strategische Kapitulation Website
2016
September 2016 - Zeitzoo Group Exhibition, Vienna.