Visual artist Sijben Rosa (them/their) creates objects and choreographs situations around them using performative means. Born in Alkmaar in 1988, they live and work between Amsterdam and Lisbon, Portugal. Rosa is interested in creating objects that deviate from practical functions and the expectations of efficiency. Over the past ten years, the artist has explored how material ambiguity can lead to alternative ways of relating to our environment, fostering greater social connectedness. In the words of the artist: “The objects do not claim a purpose, but a space for nothing”. And in doing so, they open an opportunity for thinking, speaking, or simply existence without purpose. Rosa views their artistic practice as one that deals with the social, economic and aesthetic status of objects, as a means of creating awareness around one’s unique position among other people and objects.
From January, Sijben Rosa will be carrying out a new assignment in the public space. The project takes place in the immediate vicinity of Kunstinstituut Melly and will be concluded with a presentation in December 2023.
