Nel Maertens

Nel Maertens – Zaaien en Oogsten, 2024

• firma, Schaarbeeklei 636, Vilvoorde

Before the development of roads and industrial infrastructure, extensive floodplains stretched on both sides of the Senne River. These fertile lands were teeming with wild flora and fauna, while agriculture thrived on the higher plateau. Drawing attention to the fleeting biodiversity, Nel Maertens creates an installation called Zaaien en Oogsten (in English – Sowing and Reaping). The installation portrays a vibrant field, featuring flowers and greens, crafted using brightly coloured pigment diluted in wheat flour—a material sourced directly from the fields.

For the third iteration of Zaaien en Oogsten, Nel Maertens finds inspiration in the surroundings of firma, nestled in the heart of the Buda district between the canal, the Senne and the viaduct. The wildflowers and plants flourishing in this industrial part of Vilvoorde — alongside train tracks, bustling roads, and the canal — serve as the foundation for a vibrant, large-scale flower carpet. The spacious, unrefined art space of firma and cantine, housed within an old factory building, provides a balanced counterweight to the natural, brightly coloured installation.

About

Nel Maertens (1996°, lives and works in Antwerp) explores colour, material, writing, and energy in her work. Nel graduated with a master’s degree in fashion from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp in 2019. Besides projects in the performing arts (costume design, performance), Maertens focuses on an autonomous visual art practice. She is an omnivalent artist who enjoys cross-sector collaborations and is a member of the artist collective FAAR.

Nel participated in group and solo exhibitions at home and abroad, in 2021 Charlotte Crevits curated a first solo exhibition of her work at CC Strombeek. This was followed by several residencies and collaborations with KMSKA, Europalia Georgia, Het Rubenshuis, Platform K and choreographer Femke Gyselinck, We Are The Next Generation, Art On Paper, Wouters & Hendrix, Coppejans Gallery, Baroque Influencers, Dieric Bouts Festival, Flanders DC Antwerp,… among others.

The three “classic” genres within art history; the portrait, the landscape and the still life, return again and again. Themes such as feminism and universal emotion she wants to revisit and actualise. Nature conservation and climate change are also important drives in her work.