Nick Valentijn presents Solo Show at St Vincents gallery in Antwerp
Nick Valentijn’s debut exhibition Solo Show, hosted by the esteemed Antwerp gallery St Vincents, introduces a compelling new voice in contemporary object-making.
As a sculptor and designer based in Maastricht, Valentijn redefines the intersection between craft and concept, inviting viewers to witness the active presence of material in each of his pieces.
The exhibition, running through September 20 at Kleine Markt 13, features 12 distinct works, three of which originate from his 2024 graduation project at the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts and Design.
Nick Valentijn’s process-oriented practice stems from a formative connection with clay, which laid the groundwork for his current approach to metal and wood. In his hands, steel and timber behave less like static materials and more like partners in dialogue.
He embraces their natural resistance, allowing heat, pressure, and chance to guide each piece’s final form. Welding, for Valentijn, is not just a technical procedure but a method of negotiation, letting the material respond, distort, or disagree.
Seams remain visible, edges slightly off, and surfaces uneven by design. These details tell the story of making as much as the object itself.
Rather than conceiving furniture as purely functional, Valentijn subverts expectations. A cabinet lacks a conventional interior; a candle holder asserts presence more than utility.
By gently displacing functionality, Nick Valentijn’s work hovers at the edge of sculpture, prompting viewers to question not only what an object does, but what it could become.
The familiar forms are deliberately incomplete, resisting closure and inviting contemplation. These aren’t prototypes for production, they’re singular outcomes of an ongoing material conversation.
Each object in Solo Show originates from a quick, intuitive sketch—a single line, often without measurements. Valentijn follows these visual impulses directly into fabrication, cutting and welding with minimal mediation.
The result is work that captures a moment of raw decision-making, shaped not just by design, but by place and memory. His grandfather’s old metal workshop served as a quiet but influential backdrop during the early stages of this collection.
Today, working from a rural Dutch farmhouse, Valentijn continues that lineage, grounding his contemporary practice in deeply personal histories.
St Vincents presents Solo Show not just as an exhibition of objects, but as an invitation to witness a different way of making, where the evidence of labor is not hidden but celebrated.
Each piece on view is both artifact and process, resisting replication and embracing the unique tension between hand and material.
Nick Valentijn’s work offers a timely reflection on the value of imperfection in a design landscape increasingly defined by precision and polish.
Photography by Alexander Popelier, with courtesy of Nick Valentijn, shared with permission
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