Chaise Lounge, 2023

Facebook Market Place, Paper Mache, Acrylic, PolyGlo Varnish

76 x 140 x 54 cm

Big Boy Lamp, 2023

Cardboard Wood, Paper Mache, Acrylic, Varnish

120 x 40 x 40 cm

ARTWORK STATEMENT

Emmely Elgersma explores the use of unconventional materials and repurposes everyday objects. By transforming items that would otherwise go to waste into new sculptures, she promotes a mindset of resourcefulness and reducing unnecessary consumption.

Through her innovative use of materials and techniques, such as creating clay from kitchen products and utilising papier-mâché made from household materials, Elgersma showcases the potential for creative reuse and upcycling. Her artwork encourages viewers to question the value and potential of discarded objects, promoting a more sustainable approach to consumption and production.

Elgersma’s exploration of new ideas in her studio, including the use of a new material to conduct light and pushing the size and form of her sculptures, demonstrates an experimental and forward-thinking mindset. By pushing boundaries and challenging traditional norms, she encourages dialogue and reflection on the ways we interact with and perceive objects in our daily lives.

BIOGRAPHY

Emmely Elgersma is a Sculptor, Ceramist and Football Coach. Born in the Netherlands, Lives and Works in London.

Surrounded by buckets of PVA glue and stacks of newspapers, Emmely Elgersma uses her studio like a surreal kitchen, concocting wonky sculptures and wobbly objects that look good enough to eat (but probably don’t taste very good). Creating clay from kitchen products and papier-mâché out of household chemicals, Elgersma’s work is rooted in her formal training as a ceramicist, just with a couple of jokes thrown in. The result is an exploration of what objects mean to us as human beings, be it turning an old tennis ball tube into a luxury functioning lamp or turning piles of disused packaging into a 14ft shark for a brewery in Scotland.

Using the recycling bin, Facebook marketplace or the streets of Stamford Hill to source her art materials, she has collaborated with brands such as IKEA, Adidas, Tiktok, Paynter Jacket and Clerkenwell Design Week. Currently, she’s waiting to see if she’s made it into the Guinness World Record books for making the biggest ever papier-mâché sculpture. It was very, very big. Too big, if anything. She received her FA Level 1 coaching qualification in 2020 which has resulted in her working as a coach for Spurs, Juventus and managing The Tate Workers football team so will happily tell you why 4-4-2 is more effective with a diamond and inverted wingers. The result is a joyous collision of colour, football, interiors and sculpture

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

7 – Affordable and Clean Energy

11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities

12 – Responsible Consumption and Production