HARJO NEUTKENS (Vessem, The Netherlands, 1967)

1985-1989 Royal Academy of Arts and Design, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
1989-1990 Faculty of Musicology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands
1992-1997 Early plucked instruments studies (lute, theorbo and baroque guitar) with David van Ooijen and Toyohiko Satoh, Eindhoven and The Hague, The Netherlands
1989 Scholarship received from the Dutch department of culture for the drawings, paintings and sculptures
1990-1991 Trip around the world made possible by a scholarship from the Dutch government.
1986-now Working on a series of drawings, paintings, prints and sculptures
1993-now Working as a lute player in various baroque orchestras, chamber music ensembles, playing concerts and doing radio, TV and CD recordings
2009-now Manager at Mindat.org, the world’s largest internet based mineralogical and geological community and database.

“Harjo Neutkens (Vessem 1967) has worked for years in relative isolation on a very personal oeuvre that lies somewhere between figuration and abstraction. In his work Neutkens tries to touch on the structures that underlie all appearances. 
His painted and drawn images evoke associations with microstructures or dizzying macrostructures. Like molecular or cosmic constructions they appear to move freely in space, with shapes sometimes flowing together and then apart.
Neutkens builds his mysterious image structures layer upon layer with great care and endless patience, until an ultimate harmony is achieved between form, structure and colour.”
Han Steenbruggen, Museum Belvédère (Heerenveen, NL)

“In the drawings you’re not being distracted by anything in any way and you’ll end up in dazzling macro-structures (that could just as well be micro-structures as far as I’m concerned, everything has structure). The drawings remain clear and a bit “matter-of-fact” where at the same time they are dazzling and hallucinating, and that combination works just right….at least for me it does”
Philip Peters (former editor-in-chief of ‘Museumjournaal’ art magazine)

“Harjo Neutkens’ oeuvre is all about finding a balance between form, structure and colour between similar shapes that seem to attract and repel each other at the same time. On the one hand these structures appear to look familiar but on the other hand come across as extraterrestrial entities. They are build up layer upon layer, extremely attentive, with the patience of a monk. 
This results in beautiful works, all fitting within one corpus, but all with a distinct individual appearance. They merit being seen by many.”
Hendrik Driessen, former director of Museum de Pont (Tilburg, NL)