Interview
Caroline Kampfraath
Dutch sculptor Caroline Kampfraath lives and works in Amsterdam. She is a sculptor whose practice is grounded in a investigation of material presence, spatial relationships and embodied perception. Her work engages with the tension between solidity and fragility, structure and sensibility resulting in sculptures that operate both physically and conceptually within their environment.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I am a sculptor. My work exists of installations, sculpture and sketches. I am doing shows nationally and internationally, as well as commissions. I started my journey in the artworld at a young age with drawing. My father hosted a group of well known Dutch artists at home and then I decided to be an artist. I got my passion for sculpture at the first year in art school. The idea that you could fill a space with your thoughts opened a new world for me.”
What does your work aim to say? Does it comment on any current social or political issues?
“Through my sculptures, I try to create a bridge between the tangible and the intangible, inviting a richer understanding of our existence. It is about the idea of connection; whether it is between humans and nature, individuals and society, or our inner and outer worlds. My pieces encourage a deeper reflection on these relationships, offering a nuanced explanation of human life, change and our evolving relationship with the world we inhabit.”
Do you plan your work in advance, or is it improvisation?
“There is a long process of preparation before my work is finished. I work with a lot different materials, such as artificial resin, natural resin, bronze, stone, used objects, plaster, clay, marble and so on. I know which material I need from a very early stage. Researching it is part of the process; it brings me closer to the emotion I want to explore because every material has its own possibilities as well as practical restrictions. A good example of this is the natural resin I use. The material is very beautiful in colour and smell but I have had to invent previously non-existing methods to apply it well. I was determined that I wanted to use it for a big sculpture (The Trees Weep Upon us, We’ll be Fossils by Then) but had to find out how to use it along the way. Working with this material brought me closer to my concept: I wanted to share my discomfort with our relationship with nature. And resin is like blood for the trees.”
Are there any art world trends you are following?
“I follow the art world but I set my own course. With the coming of the social media and the internet it gives you a better opportunity to reach a audience yourself so the challenge is to get there were your work will be appreciated. So, if there is a trend it is that as a artist you can enterprise more undependably.”
What process, materials and techniques do you use to create your artwork?
“For my work the preparation and process is very important. During the process, I use a lot of techniques like making molds to put pieces into the sculpture (The Tentacles of the River), 3D printing to change the material or size of a form, bronze casting (The Seamstress) and heating materials up to change the substance (The Trees). By combining materials, image and sometimes size I create a new meaning for them. I think this is the value of art: placing matters in a new perspective, creating a new truth, challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone and inviting the audience to do so as well.”
What does your art mean to you?
“Making art is my way of relating myself with things around me. Trying to understand and reflect. I have the feeling that without my art I do not exist. It is a way of understanding, processing and communicating with the world around me, that I cannot do in a other way.”
What’s your favourite artwork and why?
“I do not think I have a favorite artwork. All my work is a reflection of a process I was in at the time. But looking back some pieces marked a change in my way of working. Like The Trees weep upon us was my first big hanging piece, made especially for Palazzo Mora during the Biennale in Venice. It was a big challenge in placing, use of materials (the natural resin) and statement but it all came together there with such a big audience.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“Yes a few. The Biennale in Venice in 2017 in Palazzo Mora, the exibition in The Women Museum in Bonn, Germany in 2018, the exibition in the Altiba Gallery in 2023/24 in Barcelona, Spain and the exibition in Studio Kura in 2024 in Itoshima, Japan were for different reasons were memorable exibitions.”
Website: carolinekampfraath.nl
Instagram: @carolinekampfraathsculptor
