Born in Dordrecht in western Netherlands and now based in Rotterdam, Marco Biemans was encouraged by his parents to develop a sensitivity towards art and culture at a young age. Having been exposed to a variety of drawing and painting techniques by his mother, a self-taught artist, Marco knew that a creative education would be a necessity. He studied graphic arts in Rotterdam for a period of four years, during which he felt the urge to immerse himself in 3D design. He went on to take up interior and architectural design at the Academy of Art St. Joost in the city of Breda.

“Here,” says Marco, “I learned new ways to look at the world and to place things into a new perspective. The most interesting part of designing for me was to change the given into another meaning. I enjoy changing everything I see into something different. Placing myself and things around me in another context. Adding subtle changes and/or making combinations of what I see. I like to give a new view of all “that is”. Show a new kind of, another kind of world.”

Marco creates drawings, paintings and sculptures of stripped down, elongated human figures. He gives our emotions and struggles “another context”, places them in a “new world”. Doubt, fixity, freedom –  these are some of the themes explored. The palette is limited and the strokes remain minimal. The innovative pieces of art communicate effectively not in spite of but because of their simplicity.

“The Madonna and Child with Angels and St. Jerome by Parmigianino (1503-1540) is one painting that has influenced me deeply,” says Marco, “because of the long neck and the over-sized body parts. Other figures whom I admire are Frida Kahlo, Magritte, Fernando Botero, Edward Hopper, Oswaldo Guayasamin, Mies van der Rohe, Richard Serra, Richard Long.”

In 2013, Marco contributed to a book published by a young Aruban poet, Jermin Bell. In 2014, his series ‘Duality’ was exhibited in Zwijndrecht and Rotterdam. Currently, he is planning to make a series of self-portraits. He is open to exploring more.

You can find Marco Biemans on his website (www.marcobiemans.com), Twitter account (@MarcoBiemans1) and Saatchi Art profile (www.saatchiart.com/marcobiemans).

Images used with permission.