baukje spaltro

Lives and works in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Artist statement

ARTISTIC STATEMENT BAUKJE SPALTRO (1967) I challenge the public to experience the urban soul and discover a deeper connection with the cities we create and call home. Let’s create cities together. In my ongoing project, City Spheres, I encourage viewers to engage with the urban spirit and to reflect on their relationship with the places they call home. In this Anthropocene era, marked by environmental and social crises, my work leverages imagination to propose solutions grounded in shared human values. I believe that both society and its creators should more actively consider the kinds of places (cities, communities, world) we wish to shape together. This requires hope, new perspectives, and new narratives. My paintings, distinguished by their unique use of colour (notably fluorescent backgrounds) and narrative approach, invite the audience to contemplate our society and its cities. They inspire viewers to co-create our environments, regardless of our differences. Since 2015, I have developed the City Spheres project, drawing inspiration from the concept of genius loci (the spirit of a place) and the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk’s book Spheres*. Sloterdijk urges us to focus not only on who we are, but also on where we are-on the atmosphere and sense of place that people collectively create to express their identities. Today, the urban identities of European neighbourhoods face threats from economic interests, populism, and gentrification. My vibrant paintings aim to raise...

Artwork