Evolution of Theory/Theory of Evolution

Most of the art you’re not allowed to touch. The sculptures Merijn makes are the exception to that rule. Go and sit next to him, wrap an arm around him. Or pet him on his back.

This monkey may look slight and fast, but that could not be further from the truth. This sculpture weighs around a hundred kilos. Which made the installation quite difficult. It was driven into the museum on a little cart. In order to fit through the doorways and in the elevator it had to be turned on it’s side. Four people worked up a sweat to make that happen. When the monkey was finally upstairs it had to be lifted up to the spot it is in. It ended up taking five people to lift our monkey into place.

Show me your studio and I’ll tell you who you are. Merijn’s studio is full of stuff, all over the floor, on tables, in cabinets. The abundance of things is a reflection of the abundance of things Merijn is. He is an artist, a scientist, a poet and an IT-specialist.

Merijn is very enthusiastic about the LAM. He thinks it’s interesting that you can visit the museum without really realizing that the theme of the collection centers on food and consumption. According to him the theme does not take center stage it is just a tool to help you look at art in a different way.

This sculpture has two titles. Your position in relation to the work determines the title. From one perspective it’s Theory of Evolution, from the other it’s Evolution of Theory. The work is about the monkey reaching a state of consciousness in which he becomes aware of what he is. Which leads him to create an image of himself made of bananas. He or she gets a different sense of self through this process. Merijn compares this to us humans and the way we relate to artificial intelligence.