Scrub, Rake, Pour, Sweep

For forty years, Maria Roosen (1957) has been a significant voice in the art world. Her work centers around the themes of growth, fertility, fragility, and love. Roosen is best known for her clusters of breasts and nipples made from watercolour and glass: soft and hard materials come together in her art.

Intuition and personal narratives play a prominent role in her work. ‘You could also see my works as self-portraits, an exploration of where I stand in time, where I want to go to, a visualisation of desires, memories, and new insights,’ she says. Roosen uses a variety of materials and everyday objects to express this personal layer. ‘Utensils such as a hammer, pitchfork, or jug have the most essential form, they look the way they do because of their function. No detail is superfluous, and that’s something I try to achieve in my work as well,’ Roosen explains.

Image: Maria Roosen, Milk Cans, 1991-1994, Glass | Collection Museum Helmond.