Nick van Woert

Trained as an architect, Nick van Woert (b. 1979) is interested above all in materials, their properties and uses, and their potential meanings. He scours local supermarkets, waste containers and street corners looking for ingredients to use in his remarkable sculptures, whether it be cat litter, PVC or plastic. Van Woert explores the meaning of ‘nature’ today. Modern society is artificial, yet it also suits us perfectly, almost like second nature. Van Woert plays with this idea in beautiful – almost poetic – installations that reconcile the artificial and the natural. He combines elements from classical antiquity with objects from today’s consumer society, focusing on the overwhelming power of nature, American history and contemporary culture. His work is remarkably topical. The exhibition at GEM museum of contemporary art is his first solo museum exhibition in the Netherlands.