Artist Talk: Folkert de Jong with Doede Hardeman, museum director Singer Laren

In light of his new exhibition The Party, opening at Galerie Ron Mandos in November, Folkert de Jong is in conversation with Doede Hardeman, museum director of Singer Laren, discussing the sculptures in the exhibition and his broader approach to the medium.

The title The Party refers to an image that returns throughout the new body of work: a party caught mid-celebration, just before something goes wrong. Figures stand on chairs holding cakes, a festive scene that nevertheless carries a sense of unease and underlying tension. This contrast between celebration and uncertainty runs throughout the exhibition and raises questions about how we respond to moments that appear familiar, yet feel slightly out of place.

During the talk, the two reflect on the role of art in a moment that feels increasingly uncertain. Rather than offering clear answers or telling the viewer what to think, de Jong’s sculptures create a space to pause and consider what is happening in front of us.

This approach is also reflected in his use of materials. De Jong often works with everyday materials, placing them in unexpected forms and situations, making the original material difficult to recognize and changing how we understand the object. By transforming the familiar into something unexpected, he creates sculptures that initially seem recognizable but reveal something different the longer we look at them.

The conversation also explores what makes sculpture different from other forms of art. Unlike a painting, which remains on the wall and is viewed from a distance, a sculpture occupies the same physical space as the viewer, with a body, a scale and a presence in the room. This physical relationship changes how we respond to it, allowing us to project emotions and associations onto the figures and objects we encounter.