Bottles, teeth, jerrycans, glass. Objects and materials are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for her work.
Merel Wendt (1999), is an
illustrator, screen printer and lithographer currently based in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Objects almost always function as the characters in her works. They have the ability to come to life. As a maker, she tries to visualise her fascination for their form by bending and manipulating their properties, such as shape, color and size. She stretches them, blows them up and exaggerates them. In this way she hopes to reacquaint the viewer with these familiar objects.
In 2021, she graduated with the project PFAND, a project about the Berliner Pfandsammler*innen and their bottle collection.Read more about the project here.
Education:
2017-2021 BA Illustration and Animation Design,
Academy Minerva Groningen, Cum Laude
2020 Internship at comic artist and illustrator Nino Bulling, Berlin
2016-2017 Pre-course Art and Design, ArtEZ Zwolle
Exhibitions:
Soon:
July 7th Witte Olifanten IX, Streekhistorisch museum Stadskanaal,
duo-exhibition together with Marijke Klamer
August 5th Solo-exhibition, Galerie Noord Groningen
August 26th La Grande Finale, DAD Groningen
2023 Window exhibition, Sec Marché Hattem
2023 WEP SALON, WEP Groningen
2022 PFAND, Kunstpunt Groningen (solo)
2022 Group exhibtion, Bistro Basta Groningen
2022 Fumetto Comic Festival, Luzern Switzerland
2022 Night By The Young, Rozentheater Amsterdam
2022 DAD Design Stories, Groningen
2022 VPRO Dorst Instagram takeover
2021 IJswee, CBK Emmen
2021 Dutch Design Week, Klokgebouw Eindhoven
2021 Manifestatie Jong V , Galerie DSG Assen
2021 Detour, Graduation show Academy Minerva
2020 Channeled, The Waterhouse Gallery, Groningen
2020 Like a Virgin, Galerie H200 Groningen
2019 Panta Rhei, Grafiek2019 & Forma Aktua Groningen
2019 Illustratie57, Groningen (curation and organising seminars)
2019 Grafiek in de Kerk, Woltersum
2018 Cross Comix, Rotterdam (student price nomination)
2018 Allie van Altena Farewell Exhibition, Groningen
Workshops:
2022-now Art workshop teacher at de Vrolijkheid
Asylum Seekers’ Center Ter Apel
2022 Art workshop teacher at de Vrolijkheid
Asylum Seekers’ Center Burgum
2022 “Prints of collections, researching objects and lithography in the public domain.”
Projectweek Academy Minerva Groningen
2022 “Prints of collections, collections of prints”
Exploring objects and still-lives through polyesterplate-lithography
Projectweek Academy Minerva Groningen
2022 “Screen printing using paper stencils”,
Student Hotel Groningen, Festival der Aa, ExpOOST
Interviews and articles:
Dagblad van het Noorden
Kunstpunt Groningen
Selected clients:
Essay Skate Magazine, Stichting Eurosonic Noorderslag, Juiststraks.nu, Stichting Poëziepaleis, NNZ, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, UMCG, Student Hotel.

