Engelien Dam

De Meern, 1950

‘I want to show the joy in art, make people happy!’

Engelien started her sculpting lessons in 1998. Chiseling in stone brought her so much pleasure it became a passion. Engelien: 'Observing a piece of raw stone I have selected grow into a beautiful sculpture is a fascinating process. The stone often tells me what it is or will become. Unexpected things, like a fault or crack, make surprising images come to the fore.' This is how her KMEK series was born.

‘KMEK means Art With a Wink in Dutch. The KMEK's are birds whose heads always have a smile. When people look at my birds and smile I see it as a compliment! Then I know that I have achieved what I want.' Engelien also makes expressionistic sculptures and sculptures with abstract and organic shapes. She uses serpentine, albast and euville, and some of her work is reproduced in bronze or neolith.