Heringa/Van Kalsbeek

Biography of Heringa/Van Kalsbeek

It is over twenty-five years ago that Liet Heringa (*1966) and Maarten van Kalsbeek (*1962) created a sculpture together for the first time. They had already known each other since the mid-eighties from their studies at the Rietveld Academy, but first opted for setting to work on an individual basis. It was only when they were separated when Heringa moved to London that they started working together on a permanent basis. They sent each other slides of what they were making, adjusted things in each other’s work and in such a way Ping-Ponged to and from by post.

This has been their modus operandi until now. The joint name under which they have been officially operating since 1998, Heringa/Van Kalsbeek, indicates the extent to which they are a single entity but also two poles. Their art is a result of action and reaction. It is pushing and pulling, formulating and correcting, an artistic tennis match with unprecedented lengthy rallies.

Typically, the work of Heringa/Van Kalsbeek is built up around a core that usually consists of a realistic object embedded in what perhaps can best be described as a three-dimensional painting. The core is absorbed within lines and planes of cast synthetic material, ropes and parts of plants, creating a dynamic and sensual splurge of colour and form.