Walter van Broekhuizen (The Netherlands)

The art work is based on the novel »Walden or Life in the Woods« by Henry D. Thoreau. This book is written in 1854, he describes his life in a self built cabin. Although it is an old book it is still relevant today. Thoreau’s openness to Eastern thought, combined with two years of self-sufficient and sustainable living on the banks of Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts (USA), led him to important insights - spiritual and philosophical.

The villas on Mount Lushan where built by European and American travelers end of the 19th Century and used as summer houses. The »Villa Walden« is built in scale of one fourth of the real size Walden house. It is located on a little hill in the forest of Mt. Lushan and represents the romantic ideal of living in nature. It is made of concrete a common building material used everywhere in the world. Concrete being a reference to the expansion of China’s large cities. But even nature will grow through or cover concrete if a site is deserted. The »Villa Walden« is left to deteriorate naturally.

CV

Walter van Broekhuizen studied at the Akademie Sint Joost in Breda and attended the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and got a MfA degree. He was a finalist of the Prix de Rome for Drawing in 1998. His work reflects the current human condition, often with regards to nature. He uses different mediums to remodel our perception of landscape, in miniature to life-sized works. Walter has worked as an artist in Germany, South Africa, Norway, France, Indonesia and Canada, and has exhibited internationally. His commissioned work can be seen throughout the Netherlands. He lives and works in Amsterdam.