Marga de Waard

I am self-taught. I discovered my creativity through correspondence with an artist in Germany. We wrote to each other about our lives in fable form. We added small objects to the letters, more and more and bigger. They became collages in which we took pictures and utensils out of context and put them together in an unexpected way. This led to a series of successful exhibitions in the Netherlands and Germany in the 1990s. In my portfolio is the list of all the assignments I have done afterwards.

Taking something out of context or function has remained the core of my work. Playing with reality in this way led to a new design of (utility) objects, furniture and now XL collages. But also for example to eye-catching shop windows in a deprived neighborhood and a recycling project at the Dutch probation service. 

At one point I also started writing stories and I love that. This resulted in a book and an online magazine: Marga's Magazine . Little stories about everyday life, sometimes mine, sometimes someone else's. Always in a light tone, although the stories can also be moving. 

People sometimes ask me what my mission is as a story maker or designer. I have no specific ambition or vision about my work. I want to get people out of the frenzy of the day through my work, through a story or artwork that moves, each in its own way. Light-footed, airy & relativizing.

I see relativizing as an art: if you can put yourself and what you do into perspective, that is a good basis for a pleasant (together) life. Everything I make or write reflects that.