Karin Beek

Works
Biography

Karin Beek

The bronze sculptures by Dutch artist Karin Beek are characterized by a friendly, round and at the same time monumental style. They breathe the atmosphere of everyday life. Beek would like her sculptures to be accessible, move the viewer and invite them to touch. She herself would sometimes like to put a sign next to her work "Please touch". Touching a work is an experience for Beek that allows you to get to know and appreciate the work better.

 

Karin Beek believes that a sculpture should speak for itself, not only in a spatial sense but also emotionally. Her work is sometimes tough and challenging, other times introverted and friendly, but often a combination of both and always full of emotion. This makes her works extremely suitable for public space. Her work can be found in various places on squares and in parks throughout the Netherlands. 

 

In Karin Beek's work the connection between humans and animals is a recurring theme. This is not only about spatiality, but also about the feeling and the power that the sculpture radiates. Both humans and animals are favorite subjects for her. She draws inspiration from her immediate environment. Since Beek lives in a rural area, many of the subjects for her sculptures are the animals around her; sheep, geese, hedgehogs, cats, a pony, they all appear in Beek's oeuvre.

 

Characteristic of Karin Beek's style is her ability to capture the essential lines. Without being distracted by details, the artist knows how to accurately portray her subjects by looking for a form that harbors tension and strength. Her larger sculptures have an inviting round and closed shape. Compact and soft at the same time. The patina and the effect of time and touch give the images a characteristic appearance.

 

Karin Beek was educated at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam and at the Rijksacademie voor Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam.