Marit Angenita Otto
I have been working as an independent visual artist since 1994. My studio is located in a former Mercedes showroom in Zwolle, The Netherlands. I am self-taught with a background in graphic design. Over time I have developed into a multi-disciplinary artist. A distinctive feature in my work as an artist is the human body in all its shapes, forms and behavioral aspects. My art is often a personal reflection of social issues and current affairs. Daily scenes, platitudes and the absurdities of human behavior also inspire me. Although my art is highly esthetical, it also contains distressing elements that evoke a feeling of uneasiness. This contradiction is a recurring theme in my artwork. Do you really see what is shown? Typeface design is a relatively new discipline within my one-man business. My love for graphic design and the great diversity in typefaces triggered me to create one of my own. It did not stop at one...... The Zen like monks work of handling more than 300 characters per typeface makes a great variation on my daily labor as an artist and is a nice mind-boggler and challenge. To me, innovation is not a purpose in itself but the result of progressive insight and the need to stretch and push my own boundaries. Lately my art is more aesthetic which could be interpreted as a return to the core of being. My art portrays human nature in its sobriety, stripped of pretense, through the use of color and shape. My current work is less anecdotal than my prior art. The created images often touch upon the edge of fiction and fact and range from graphic to plastic. Therefore my artwork covers several disciplines: paintings, sculptures and processed photographs. The graphic designer, the painter and the philosopher combined; that’s me! In the design process of the typefaces the artist in me comes along to shake up the typeface principals a bit. The persona of the character is growing like it would in a peace of art. Next to my work as an independent artist, I create and participate in community art projects and educational art projects. I also design for non-profit organizations, private clients and commercial companies. Next to that I am an art coach and participating member of the visual arts committee in Zwolle and museum host at museum ‘ De Fundatie’ Zwolle.

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