Bottles, teeth, jerrycans, glass. Objects and materials are an inexhaustible source of inspiration for my work.
My name is Merel Wendt (1999), an
illustrator, screen printer and lithographer currently based in Groningen, the Netherlands.
Objects almost always function as the characters in my illustrations. They have the ability to come to life. As a maker, I try to visualise my fascination for their form by bending and manipulating their properties, such as shape, color and size. I stretch them, blow them up and exaggerate them.
In this way I hope to reacquaint the viewer with these familiar objects.
In 2021, I 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 Nino Bulling, Berlin
2016-2017 Pre-course Art and Design, ArtEZ Zwolle
Exhibitions:
Soon: March 24th: WEP SALON, WEP Groningen
August 5th: Solo-exhibition, Galerie Noord Groningen
2022 PFAND Solo-exhibition Kunstpunt Groningen
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 (side events, curation and organising seminars)
2019 Grafiek in de Kerk, Woltersum
2018 Cross Comix, Rotterdam (student price nomination)
2018 Allie van Altena Farewell Exhibition, Groningen
Other:
Currently: Art workshop teacher at de Vrolijkheid in asylum center Ter Apel
2022 Art workshop teacher at De Vrolijkheid, asylum center Burgum
2022 “Prints of collections, researching objects and lithography in the public domain.” Academy Minerva Projectweek
2022 “Prints of collections, collections of prints”
Exploring objects and still-lives through polyesterplate- lithography, Academy Minerva Projectweek
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.

