Projects & Collaborations
Beyond the Individual Practice
Not every artistic idea develops in isolation. Some take shape through collaboration with other artists, designers or filmmakers, while others emerge from commissions, shared interests or unexpected encounters.
These projects reflect a broader dimension of my artistic practice, where different disciplines, perspectives and ways of working come together. Each project brings its own questions, possibilities and outcomes.
Pieter Alewijns | Film
One of my projects emerged from a collaboration with Frank Seegers, a local filmmaker from Eindhoven. For this project, I composed the music for Seegers' film, which portrays a day in the life of my friend and fellow artist Pieter M. Alewijns. The film was shot in various locations but is primarily set in Pieter's home and studio.
A small piece is shown, for full movie see here > Full movie <
Film by Frank Seegers | Music by Maarten Donders
7 Secrets
Sculptural Wall Display
Created for a daycare centre in Eindhoven, 7 Secrets began with a simple request: a display for children's work that would be more than an ordinary showcase.
The result is a sculptural wall object in which seven transparent compartments emerge from an irregular wooden form. Each compartment creates its own small space, giving individual objects a place within the larger composition.
Made from wood and glass, the work brings together sculpture and function, transforming an everyday display into something more playful and unexpected.
Wood and glass | 250 × 125 cm
Denied, Searching & Becoming
Exhibition | Sculptures, Wall Objects and Installations
An exhibition bringing together sculptures, wall objects and installations that explore questions of identity, perception and transformation.
Through different materials and forms, the works suggest fragmented narratives, traces of experience and the shifting relationship between what we recognise and what remains unfamiliar.
Rather than presenting a single story, the exhibition invites visitors to discover connections between individual works and construct their own interpretations.
De Kunstwerkplaats
An Independent Art Workshop | 2012–2017
De Kunstwerkplaats (The Art Workshop) was an independent artistic initiative I established together with fellow artists. It offered young people and adults with autism or mild intellectual disabilities a place to explore their artistic interests and develop their own ideas.
At the heart of the workshop was the belief that every participant deserved to be taken seriously as an artist, with their own perspective, imagination and way of working. Rather than following a predetermined programme, participants were encouraged to experiment, make choices and develop their own visual language.
Our role was to create the conditions in which this could happen: offering guidance, sharing knowledge and introducing new materials and possibilities, while leaving room for individual expression. Just as importantly, the workshop became a place where people could feel seen, recognised and valued for what they created.
Preparing an exhibition with De Kunstwerkplaats, 2016..
Exhibition opening on World Autism Awareness Day.
Exhibitions
The workshop's activities extended beyond the studio through two exhibitions: Wat zie...? (2016) and Lichtjes Dwalen (2017). These presentations brought together works developed by individual participants, each reflecting a distinct way of observing, interpreting and responding to the world.
Dossier 3.0
Exhibition opening with Queen Máxima
Working together in the studio
Our collaborative bronze sculpture.
Dossier 3.0 brought together fifty young people from care organisations across North Brabant and fifty professional artists. Working together in the artists' studios, they explored materials, techniques and ideas, developing artworks that reflected their personal experiences and perspectives.
As one of the participating artists, I worked with a young participant in my studio. Together, we developed a bronze sculpture through a process of experimentation, discussion and making. The finished work is shown above, alongside a photograph of our collaboration.
The project culminated in an exhibition at Het Noordbrabants Museum in ’s-Hertogenbosch, opened by Queen Máxima in September 2014.
Dossier 3.0 was part of Kunstkameraden, an initiative organised by Stichting de Cultuurkantine, bringing young people and professional artists together through artistic collaboration.
Very Young Expressionists 2
An Artistic Journey with Children
Very Young Expressionists 2 brought together primary school children from Eindhoven and artists Maarten Donders, Daniëlle Lemaire and Frank Malcorps at De Overslag.
Inspired by the theme On a Journey, the children explored different materials, including clay, wood and branches. Working alongside the artists, they experimented with shapes, structures and combinations, creating a collection of small, imaginative sculptures and compositions.
The emphasis was on discovery and individual expression, allowing ideas to develop through the process of making rather than following a predetermined outcome.
The exhibition also featured a short theatrical performance by an actress and a musician, adding another dimension to the children's visual explorations.
99Beds
99 Beds is a photographic project by Mo Swillens, who portrayed 99 Dutch and Belgian artists, musicians, designers, writers and actors in one of their most personal spaces: the bedroom.
I was invited to take part in the project and was photographed in my own bedroom. As one of the participating artists, I also received a photographic etching by Swillens.
The portraits were brought together in a book, offering a glimpse into the private worlds of people whose creative work is usually encountered in public.
Fibula
De Co-operatie
Fibula was a thematic exhibition developed by De Co-operatie, a collective of artists working across different disciplines.
The project explored the fibula, an ancient form of fastening or decorative brooch, as a starting point for contemporary artistic interpretations. Rather than approaching jewellery solely as an ornament, the participating artists investigated its forms, materials and possible meanings.
The exhibition brought together work by Mieke van den Hende, Jeroen Krielaart, Maarten Donders and Ingeborg de Groot, whose ideas formed the basis of the jewellery concept.
