“In search of stillness, wonder, and (Eastern) dialogue, guided by a fascination with the Other and for nature, with its fragility, and at the same time, its resilience”.
In my work, I explore the meaning of emptiness, the movement of the line, and the horizon. For me, emptiness is not an absence, but a space full of possibilities – a place for reflection, inner calm, presence, and transformation. I see the horizon not as a boundary, but as a transitional space where the familiar dissolves into the infinite.
I explore the poetic tension between presence and absence, stillness and movement, and invite the viewer to connect with the rhythms of life. Poetry, and the vulnerability and resilience of nature, are recurring themes in my work.
Through painting, installation, and textile art, I create contemplative works in which contrasts such as stillness and movement, transience and timelessness, presence and absence come together. I aim to create an atmosphere that invites the viewer to immerse themselves in the beauty of the moment, to experience wonder for nature, and to find a moment of stillness.
Since my studies in Amsterdam (BFA 1996) and New York (MFA 1998, summa cum laude), I have worked with a wide range of — often handmade — materials, such as handmade paper, transparent pastes, stone-based paints, and pigments. By also reinterpreting traditional techniques, I have developed a personal visual language that invites the viewer to explore different layers - within the work, in the environment, and within themselves - and to lose themselves in beauty, solace, and wonder.
This quiet visual language shows a strong affinity with Eastern philosophy and visual traditions. The five years I lived in Beijing, and my many collaborations and exhibitions in Taiwan, as well as travels in Japan and Korea, have deepened my connection with these ideas. The intercultural dialogue between East and West is a vital foundation of my work.
Not only is the ‘Eastern’ dialogue a central theme, but my travels and projects in other countries also continue to inspire me. Nature, and the connections between different cultures and experiences, enrich my perspective. I am inspired by my journeys and collaborations in diverse landscapes and cultures, including Norway, Brazil, Gaza, Syria, Vietnam, and Africa. From my studio in Haarlem, I continue to engage in these dialogues — experimenting, exploring, and striving to build bridges between cultures, traditions, and materials, while inspiring wonder through my work.
My work has been exhibited internationally and is included in (museum) collections, among others at Art Beijing, DDC during the World Expo in Shanghai, Da Xiang Art Space, Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park, Art Taipei, Palazzo Bembo during the Venice Biennale 2015, and Taipei Dangdai 2025. In the Netherlands, my work has been shown at Museum Kranenburgh, Museum Flehite, and Museum Belvédère.
In addition, I am trained as a teacher in art history and visual arts, and as an art therapist. Alongside my full-time artistic practice, I work as a freelance teacher, workshop leader, and lecturer, and as a coach and guide — supporting others, from creative individuals who have fled their home countries to people living with cognitive challenges. I also create visual work in dialogue with poetry, including illustrations for poems by Vasalis, published by MatchBoox.
In my work, I seek a sense of stillness within movement. The work is in constant transformation — shifting with the light, the viewer’s perspective, or the way and place it is displayed. I enjoy playing with light, line, material, and layering, hoping to convey a sense of stillness. I wish for it to evoke memories, move the viewer, bring joy, offer beauty or comfort. As an artist, that is what matters most to me — to awaken a sense of wonder and invite dialogue.
“From the special experience as a Western woman wo lived and worked in Beijing (2007-2013), she roams between Eastern and Western culture. By her understanding of painting, ink and wash, emptiness, line and space, she reveals the relationships and perception of reality underlying the presentation of the visual physicality.”
By Zhang Yu, curator exhibition “Without Shape, A Thinking Format That Transcends The Medium”, Taiwan.
Although I have long been fascinated by transience, temporality, and the beauty of decay, I want to keep my work open to the viewer. It is important that it creates an atmosphere in which different layers become visible - layers within the work, within the space, and above all, within oneself. How one loses oneself in silence, in emptiness, and in the search for meaning - meaning that remains open, in image and in interpretation. The emptiness, both within the work and in the surrounding space, holds a quiet significance.
“Our visual world is a reflection of our experience, and this reflection is not fixed, but changes with every moment of perception. The work of Maartje Blans (梁美琪) breaks through the boundaries of the flat surface. Through installations, she integrates brushstrokes and materials into space, transforming everyday objects into spatial situations. In doing so, she invites the viewer to reconsider ways of perceiving and challenges the traditional boundaries of contemporary art.”
By Ms. Chung, Curator and Director, Da Xiang Art Space, The Grand Vision: Diverse Narratives of Contemporary Women’s Art, Taichung, 2025.