Nihilist Table (II)

“This table came from my grandma,” says Folkert. A still life of fruit rests on it. There’s a milk jug, an orange and a stack of lemons, limes and walnuts. The table is on top of a cardboard box. He adds, “It’s a little vanity piece made of bronze.”

Folkert explains, “I really wanted to create this. When I see a still life by Cézanne, for example, or something from the 17th century in the Rijksmuseum, I sometimes wonder: what's the point of turning ordinary objects into works of art?”

He continues, "The magic of a work of art is that often there's something which doesn't make sense. What you see here is not a straightforward statue made of bronze. Its components look like objects from daily life. That's the mystery. Why is it that certain works of art have become so valuable? A piece can hang in a museum; even 300 years later, people still really enjoy looking at it. That makes the artist's role important.”

"The polyurethane foam is almost like a type of extraterrestrial material. It's not natural but is beautiful in its strangeness. It multiplies. If you have one litre, it turns into forty," explains Folkert.

Folkert started researching the companies that make this sort of foam and discovered that there was a dark side to it. Many materials like it had a role in wars. And they don't break down naturally, so they last forever.

"As a person, you're always trying to find a place in the world. A place in which you can say what I do is meaningful," says Folkert. “Artists are people who need to engage an audience with their art. I’m bound to always continue to play the role of artist and performer. To continue to manipulate an audience's feelings.”

Folkert explains his method: "The colours I've used are called patina. It's a special kind of acid that you apply to the bronze using flame. It creates a reaction between substances that bond to the metal. I chose those colours and then applied them to the work using perfume bottle nozzles. It turns the table into a stage with pieces of scenery illuminated by stage lights. As if it's a stage on which something important is about to happen."