ERIK LIJZENGA
The Netherlands

MEET THE ARTIST

Do you remember the first piece of jewelry you ever bought yourself or started collecting?

The first jewel I ever consciously collected is actually just part of a piece of jewelry. During my first week at art school, we were working on a project about beads, and right at that moment, I found three red glass beads for the school, they had escaped from someone’s necklace…

The serendipity of this discovery was so special that it stayed with me for a long time. From that point on, I slowly began collecting objects, and I’ve since built up a massive bead collection.

Looking back, I see these beads as seeds that were planted then and eventually grew into an obsession. Ultimately, this led to a quest to explore how my collection could be transformed into new work, how discarded objects could be revalued.

Are there any jewelers or artists whom you particularly admire?

I am immensely grateful to Julia Maria Kunnap. After the fire at my school in Idar-Oberstein, we were without a workshop or machinery for an entire semester; resources were very limited, and a great deal was demanded of our ability to improvise. At that moment, my work could have gone in many different directions.

It was precisely at that crucial moment that Julia Maria Kunnap came to the school’s temporary location to lead a workshop on stone carving using simple, homemade tools. During that week of focus and attention, I discovered that I have a natural aptitude for working with stone in this way. Patience, attention to detail, the slow unveiling of the object from the stone. After this workshop, I continued learning about stone carving during an internship with Stefan Klein, from whom I later purchased some of my stone-carving tools.

The fact that, a few years later, I was exhibiting alongside her at Hectare Galerie gave me a great sense of accomplishment.

What part of the creative process gives you the most satisfaction?

The rough preparation of my material is often the dustiest and dirtiest part of my work, the point at which a block of wood or rough stone begins to take on a vague outline of my idea.

Once that’s done, the real enjoyment of my work begins. The object hidden within the material gradually emerges. Every bit of material I remove makes the object clearer. Every movement brings the object into sharper focus. It’s still truly special to witness that transformation take place.

EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

• 2020 Gallery Marzee - International Graduate show, group exhibition, Nijmegen (NL)
• 2022 Museum Of Bohemian Paradise - LET THERE BE ROCK, museum exhibition, Turnov (CZE)
• 2024 Villa Bengel - Lost and Found - solo exhibition, Idar-Oberstein (DE)
• 2024 Gallery Marzee - International Graduate show, group exhibition, Nijmegen (NL)
• 2025 Mas Studio - The Collective - solo exhibition, Shanghai (CHN)
• 2025 Studio WearHouse - Piece of Peace, group exhibition, Amsterdam (NL)
• 2025 Galerie Oker - Mooie Sier, group exhibition, Amsterdam (NL)
• 2025 Puyuan International Contemporary Jewellery Art & Design Biennale - On the open watersgroup (CHN)
• 2026 Museum Arnhem - Draadkrachtmuseum, Arnhem (NL)
• 2026 Hectare Galerie - Carat Color Cut Clarity, group exhibition, Brussels (BE)

GRANTS & AWARDS