Joos Habraken
Miniature insect sculptures with a story
About me
I make sculptures out of insect parts, that’s the gist of it. If you think you see a stick, it’s a stick bug. I use these parts that are already shaped by millions of years of evolution to make even more detailed works. These tiny creatures have grown over time and have taken on their own life. I started adding stories, creating a world for them to live and interact in. The stories grew longer, the sculptures got more intricate, and the collection keeps on expanding.
Take a look around in my collection. Envision yourself walking into a gallery of an old museum, browsing through the cabinets. You look left and right, think you recognise something, but you can’t really put your finger on it. You lean in and look closer, taking it all in. It’s like discovering a new species, you haven’t seen anything like this before. There is some information next to it, you read it, look back at it and everything falls into place. While reading, you can envision these creatures living in their habitats, interacting with their environment and even having cultures and their personal quirks. Thank god there’s a whole collection of them.