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.