About

Curiosity is the driving force behind the work of sculptor Kees Elffers (1962). Having led him first to study medicine, it then took him to art school and continues to play out in his work today, a continuing exploration of material and form.

Kees doesn’t make things easy for himself – he chooses hard, rough and dense materials to investigate, such as steel, wood and stone. Through his intense contact with his material he develops a knowledge and sensitivity which enable him to identify and work with both its fragility and its strength. Through emphasising the individual characteristics of the materials, and setting one against another, Kees reveals their essential nature and expresses this in form, the other dominant theme in his work. Colour is of lesser importance.

These unexpected contrasts serve not only to emphasise the nature of the material but also introduce an element of surprise and humour into the work. Through his re-imagining of often familiar objects, the artist invites the viewer to join in his idiosyncratic perspective on material and form, and to smile at the riddle he has worked into their fabric.

His passion for autonomous arts does not prevent Kees from being very active in the field of applied arts. His pieces of furniture for instance stand out immediately through the original use of different materials and their unusual design. These pieces are made either as unique creations or as small series under the label 11ART.