Pen (ink) on paper
70 x 70 cm
2025
To be connected and being connected can be of a completely different nature.
To be in touch, getting in touch and a physical touch can be worlds apart.
An introspective gaze does not necessarily mean you are soul searching.
Title is inspired by the comedy Seinfeld.
Hereby I present my latest artwork to you:
MAN’S WORLD
Acrylic on canvas
180 x 100 cm
2025
Part of the Brave New World series
James Brown cried; ‘It’s Mans World’,
‘Do you know that man makes money
To buy from other man
………………………………………….
This is a man’s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing
Not one little thing without a woman or a girl
…………………………………………
He’s lost in the wilderness
He’s lost in bitterness
He’s lost, lawd have mercy now, in loneliness‘
……………………………………………
I’ve condensed it a little on the key points.
And then I imagined Joe Jackson replied with his Real Men;
…………………………………………….
‘What’s a man now? What’s a man mean?
Is he rough or is he rugged? Is he cultural and clean?
Now it’s all changed, it’s got to change more
‘Cause we think it’s getting better but nobody’s really sure
……………………………………………………………………
And so it goes, go ‘round again
But now and then we wonder who the real men are
……………………………………………………………………
Time to get scared, time to change plan
Don’t know how to treat a lady, don’t know how to be a man
Time to admit what you call defeat
‘Cause there’s women running past you now and you just drag your feet
………………………………………………………………….
Man makes a gun, man goes to war
Man can kill and man can drink and man can take a whore
Kill all the blacks, kill all the reds
And if there’s war between the sexes then there’ll be no people left
…………………………………………………………………………
And so it goes, go ‘round again
But now and then we wonder who the real men are.‘
………………………………………………………………………..
And again me condensing it on key points…… but still, a mans point of view on men and I agree on it.
Met gepaste trots presenteer ik Stichting Het Zwols Stadsatelier. Vrijdag 20 juni J.L. opgericht en statutair vastgelegd en bij de notaris beëdigd (heet dat zo?) Samen met Gina Draaisma en Jos Mulder vorm ik nu het 3 koppige bestuur van een concept wat hopelijk binnen nu en 6 maanden vaste vorm gaat krijgen.
Omdat we nog volop in een onderzoeksfase zitten en nog allerlei punten op I’s moeten zetten, zeg ik er inhoudelijk nog niet te veel over.
Wel kan ik zeggen dat we hele vruchtbare gesprekken hebben gehad met beleidsmakers en leegstandbeheerders. Het is nog best een ingewikkelde maar mooie culturele, sociaal maatschappelijke puzzel die we moeten leggen.
Meer hierover volgt maar dit eerste concrete wapenfeit wilde ik vast met jullie delen.
Ik bedank de regeling ‘Oog voor Impuls’ die deze onderzoeksfase/verkenning mede mogelijk heeft gemaakt.
Wordt vervolgd.
Denk je toch hierin iets te kunnen of willen betekenen, mail of bel mij.
(English version)
With pride I present The Zwols Stadsatelier Foundation. Friday, June 20, J.L. established and statutory and sworn in at the notary (is that how it’s called?) Together with Gina Draaisma and Jos Mulder, I now form the 3-person board of a concept that will hopefully take shape within the next 6 months.
Because we are still in a research phase and still have to fill in some blancs, I won’t say too much about the content.
What I can say is that we have had very fruitful discussions with policy makers and vacancy managers. It is still quite a complicated but beautiful cultural, social puzzle that we have to put together.
More on this will follow but I wanted to share this first concrete achievement with you.
I would like to thank the ‘Oog voor Impuls’ (Eye for Impulse) organization that made this research phase/exploration possible.
To be continued.
Do you think you can or want to mean something in this, please mail or call me.
In this post I feature a drawing made by Hussain Al Jerjawi, a young artist from Gaza (17)
Hussain is a student of Ahmed Aldaalsa from whom I showcased his work earlier.
Ahmed has been a guest artist on my website since 2024, since his exhibition in Kunstruimte het Langhuis Zwolle titled Gaza’24. Hussain is joining him there now as writer Tasneem Ayyad does too.
Hussains drawings tell the same story as Ahmed. Now the situation in Gaza is interpreted through his eyes and hands and again he gives us a glance of the situation in Gaza.
Soon both artists Ahmed and Hussain will showcase their work in a Dutch Gallery, MicksArt Collectief in Emmen. More about that soon
The situation in Gaza is pure horror. Yesterday I heard on the news that even the food aid by the Israeli – American GFH is controversial. It is used as a weapon and contributes to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war aims. People got shot and died during the distribution of (too little) food and medicine. The UN has rejected the controversial US-Israeli aid plan and is not involved.
Want to help these young artists? Soon their prints will be available but until then you can help them by donating to their Go- Funding Page, it can be found on my guestpages.
Hussain: https://maritotto.nl/guest-hussain-al-jerjawi/
Ahmed: https://maritotto.nl/guest-ahmed-aldaalsa/
Tasneem: https://maritotto.nl/guest-tasneem-ayyad/
Hereby I present my latest work, Life Is Too Short, To you
Life is too short to be negative.
Life is too fickle to be naive
Life is too dynamic to be relaxed
Life is too unfair to be positive
Life ends that makes it relative.
This image is a digital collage of pictures I made in Rome (2022) Man holding his head and massaging his temples was posted on a bridge crossing the Tiber, the Tiber is now flooding behind the man, the graffiti found on a wall somewhere in Rome. La Grande Bellezza.
In this post I feature the latest work ‘No time to recover’ and WAR by Ahmed Aldaalsa, an artist from Gaza (March/April 2025)
Ahmed about this drawing:
“Well this person is me and I am trying to talk in this work about not recovering because you know the war is back again so I did not take enough time for my mind and body to recover and now I feel very scattered and also I am holding a cactus in my hand which is a symbol of patience here in Palestine“
While Gaza is, still and again, under siege by Netanyahu’s army. Ahmed and his family are still trying to survive and overcome this devastating defeat. But like the titel of his latest drawing, he is not able to recover this intense and brutal crimes against them. While most Gazans drown in silent despair, Ahmed can still draw us a picture.
Ahmed’s story is the story of many Gazans; their situation is dire and distressing. I gave Ahmed a guest page on my website in July 2024 and exhibited his work in art space the Langhuis Zwolle. You can read more about it at https://maritotto.nl/guest-page/ or https://www.langhuis.nl/expected-gaza-24/.
I am fully aware of my own lack of power but I think it is still important that the story, including the personal and in this case the artistic story, continues to be told and that the eyes of the world remain on Gaza (and the West Bank). Also, it is my indictment of Netanyahu, I hope justice will be done.
Hereby I present my latest artworks to you; ‘Enable & Disable (diptych)
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 50 x 1cm each
2025
Enable and disable; these words hold power to switch on or off. Each time we are asked to enable or disable we take a turn in one direction. This trivial action may have implications.
As individuals we sometimes seem and feel powerless but together we can be a force of change, if we choose to.
Sadly, the global unregulated free market in its current form has been proving destructive to the planet but is now endangering our democracies as well.
At the root of every product is a producer, but then there is also, ultimately, a user. We are that users. Without a user a producer is a king without a kingdom, an empty, harmless shell. So what we as consumers do, buy and use matters. We are able to enable and disable. Switch on and off. With every purchase, we enable someone at the end of the line. We are able to make kings rise and fall and disable or enable anyone who can or can’t handle our confidence and saves or steals our future.
Hereby I present to you; ‘Serious Attitude (this is not democracy)’
Digital artprint on paper
50 x 50 cm
2025
I captured this situation when I was in Luxembourg some years ago.
I altered it a bit and have taken it to the actuality.
It’s a symbolic comment.
The paintings Virgin Screen 01 and 02 and #Do You Follow Me and #Are You Following Me, are on display again starting this week at Nel , sustainable design at Waddenweg 3a in Amsterdam.
For a couple of years I have had a special cooperation with Jorrit Tol (Nel). Stop by to see my work but certainly also to check out his special sustainable design furniture.
The artworks are selected from the Brave New World series
More about Nel: https://www.nel.nl/
More about Brave New World: https://maritotto.nl/brave-new-world-2018-2/
Wonderful news, my painting ‘ Last Gatekeepers Of Lost Revolutions’ has been shortlisted in the Singulart International Women’s Day 2025 Award!
The jury states that it stands out with its unique perspective on the theme of (female) Bravery.
About the work itself:
Hovering female figures spreading their arms wide open and floating around. They are jumping and moving simultaneously. They are clearly present and strong. The last gatekeepers is referring to a world where young men, the proverbial sons, are sent to war by other men. This is why, I believe, when women rule, wars will end. No mother in her right mind will ever send her child voluntarily to a war, any war.
Last Gatekeepers Of Lost Revolutions is part of the Metropolitan series and is currently on display in Bruxelles handled by Bernice, Art Rental and Gallery in Temse.
Check this work at; https://www.singulart.com/nl/kunstwerken/marit-otto-last-gatekeepers-of-lost-revolutions-54563
More about the Metropolitan series: https://maritotto.nl/metropolieten-2017-2/
Anxious to hear the final verdict, I’ll keep you posted!
