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Sea Of Tranquility

(Nederlandse versie)

Sea Of Tranquility 2025 

Acrylic on canvas 

155 x 90

Part of the Brave New World series

Sea Of Tranquility - acrylic on canvas - 155 x 90 cm - 2025
Sea Of Tranquility – acrylic on canvas – 155 x 90 cm – 2025

This painting features 7 alienated versions of me.

I am not truly at ease with the concept of AI, but as an image creator, I felt the need to know where the future of image creation is heading. So I started my first investigation into AI in Photoshop. 

I used a recent picture of myself and simply instructed the conceptual toolbar: ‘’improve‘’. The result of this one instruction was a bit of horror meets a VR-loving alien. A surprising and baffling introduction to AI, but not really a compliment.

I now imagine that in its eyes, my request for improvement could only lead to something that would visually resemble a physical version of itself, just like the creator who created humankind in his own image. As uncanny as this outcome was, it inspired me to create this canvas on which a more sympathetic version of this raw first artificial draft, times seven, rises from a restless sea of tranquillity. 

What AI made of me
What AI made of me

I thank AI for this inspiration, but I am not sure if I will become a frequent flyer, though; probably I will and without knowing that I do, just like the rest of us. She is beyond us.

I’m not sure our lives will get better with AI and all that it embeds and will encapsulate in the future.

 If it were up to me (it is not), I would rather live life with all its beautiful, natural imperfections and oddities with the certainty of death than become a servant of a perfect faceless system with a poor imagination.

This painting is handmade.

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Sold ‘Turist’

Happy to report that my painting “Turist” found a new and very loving home this week. Sold to an art enthusiast from Zwolle and it fits beautifully there.

Blij te melden dat mijn schilderij ‘Turist’ deze week een nieuw en heel fijn thuis heeft gevonden. Ze is verkocht aan een Zwolse kunstliefhebber en het hangt er prachtig.

Turist - Acryl op canvas 180 x 100 cm 2023 - Brave New World series.
Turist – Acryl op canvas 180 x 100 cm

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Fly Now Pay Later

(Nederlandse versie)

Pen and ink on paper 70 x70 x 2 cm

Hereby I introduce my latest artwork ‘Fly Now Pay Later’ to you

Fly Now pay Later - pen on paper 70 x 70 cm 2025
Fly Now pay Later – pen on paper 70 x 70 cm 2025

If only we had wings and winged words that could fly us everywhere

If only we could save our last treads of evaporating fantasy

A free flight to the middle of nowhere

We will compensate, 

later.

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Silicon Valley

(Nederlandse versie)

Hereby I introduce my latest work ‘Silicon Valley’ to you.

Two silicone brains and adhesive letters on metal base 50cm x 25cm x ± 20 cm

Now on display @ Kunstruimte Het Langhuis

Silicon Valley - Silicon brains and transfer characters on a metal plate - 50 x 25 cm - 2025
Silicon Valley – Silicon brains and transfer characters on a metal plate – 50 x 25 cm – 2025

Freedom is a dance a movement, those who stand idle and unmoved will sooner or later find themselves dancing to the tune of another

Silicon Valley ergo Uncanny Valley

Silicon Valley-front
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Dedicated Follower in kunstruimte het Langhuis

(Englisch version)

Lichtinstallatie Dedicated Follower is te zien tot en met 05 januari 2025 in kunstruimte Het Langhuis Zwolle
Dedicated Follower - licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis
Dedicated Follower – licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis

Wie volg je, wat volg je, waarom volg je, wie volgt jou en waar draait het uiteindelijk op uit?

#DO YOU FOLLOW ME + #ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME; deze twee lichtbakken, maakten destijds deel uit van de video-installatie Dedicated Follower. Deze installatie was speciaal gemaakt voor de tentoonstelling Rituelen in het Rietveld Paviljoen Amersfoort 2022. Daarna heeft het op twee andere locaties in formatie gestaan met de video Dedicated Follower als middelpunt. De video is ook onafhankelijk vertoond zonder de lichtbakken, onder andere tijdens een Grieks videokunst festival – Video Art Miden in Kalamata 2023 

Lees meer over Dedicated Follower; https://maritotto.nl/dedicated-follower/

Video Dedicated Follower; https://vimeo.com/675842699

Complete installatie; https://maritotto.nl/dedicated-follower-exposure/

Kunstruimte Het Langhuis Goudsteeg 8 Zwolle

Dedicated Follower - licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis
Dedicated Follower - licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis
Dedicated Follower - licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis
Dedicated Follower - licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis
Dedicated Follower - licht expo in kunstruimte Het Langhuis
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In Our Nature 2024

(klik hier voor de Nederlandse versie)

Hereby I present my latest painting to you.

In Our Nature – 2024

Acrylic on canvas

70 x 70 cm

Part of the Side show series

In Our Nature 2024- Acrylic on canvas- part of the Side Show series
In Our Nature 2024- Acrylic on canvas- part of the Side Show series

The blue letters on a paper bag smiled at me from the roadside, It has been there for a while, at least a few days. Yet it hasn’t been so long that either the blue is discoloured or the bag half-decayed. It still looks fresh. Next to the bag, scraps of what was probably a burger. A piece of grey matter in yellow-pink goo hangs bloodlessly from a white bag, with green limp lettuce leaves and a sliver of tomato as irrefutable evidence of knowledge of good nutricion. A pair of soulless and limp fries stick out of a bright red cardboard container. A striped straw protrudes triumphantly from a large white cup with plastic cap which combined with the red tray of fainted fries gives a festive look. What a happy meal this must have been. 

Everywhere I look I find these silent testimonies of feeding frenzy that apparently had to take place then and there and that after a big burp of pleasure suddenly became too much. Was it too heavy on the stomach to move what was left just an inch? 

Evidently, that which was picked up, wheeled around and nibbled on full of desire and gluttony had to be disassociated from as soon as possible, immediately in fact. 

Those who love blue letters can move from A to B while scrabbling. Those less fond of it see mostly a correlation.

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Escape Route X pilot project.

What would you do, where would you go?

(lees Nederlandse versie)

This Friday 25 October, the pilot Escape Route X will be launched at Deltion College, Zwolle.

Escape Route X is the title of an educational multimedia and cutting-edge social game. Students from the Social Work programme will engage in an experience exercise by stepping briefly ‘ in a playful manner ’ into the shoes of a refugee.

Pilot project Escape Route X - Deltion College Zwolle
Pilot project Escape Route X – Deltion College Zwolle

4 groups will be made to play the game simultaneously over 90 minutes. In the game, students assume the identities of fictional refugees: Chin Ho from North Korea (Asia), Ali Osman from Sudan (North Africa), Jimpa from Tibet (Asia) and Jamilah from Syria (Middle East). This identity determines their starting point, means of transport and home situation, thus their place at the gaming table.

To properly get into character, players are given a passport. This passport contains their character’s brief life story and reason for departure/flight. Although the characters are fictional, the stories are penned from collected stories of real refugees.

4 Game distributors are responsible for issuing the game passports, situation cards and start/travel money but also act as a question guide for the players.

These game handlers are experts by experience who have a flight past themselves. Courtesy of the Foundation Voor Elkaar, Zwolle, the following expert by experience will assist me: Noor Ba- Hashwan (23) from Yemen, Abdullah al Mohamed (25) from Syria, Hasmik Karapetyan (32) from Armenia. And Mustafa Ahmed (22) from Somalia by means of the Samen Omhoog foundation.

Afterwards, they will also give an insight into their own migration stories and answer questions.

By doing so, we hope to give more insight into refugee issues here and in the country of origin, in times of polarisation and increasing intolerance. At the same to give it a face and a personal story.

We would like to contribute to a more open attitude towards newcomers.

This pilot was created in collaboration with Petra Turan, with support from the municipality of Zwolle. Petra is Senior Lecturer at Deltion College/ Visual artist, MSc Design Driven Innovation/ Moderator eTwinning group and IVET Community/Blended Coach)

More information about the game Escape Route X can be found here: https://maritotto.nl/escape-route-x/

projectday compilation: https://maritotto.nl/escape-route-x-pilot-project-2/

This game was developed by me and artist Mark van Enk in 2011 entitled Flight 050511 for the Liberation Day festival in Zwolle. I then further developed it into a full-fledged board game. With the help of Codename Future, Emiel Sikkema and teacher Wim Hilberdink and his medialogue students at SG Thorbecke Zwolle, I conducted research to optimise the game and make it interesting for a young audience. I then further developed it into what it is today with input from Jolan van de Water, Patrick Pelman, Stan Vergeer and Petra Turan.

Escape Route X - the game
Escape Route X-the game