The daughter, granddaughter, and sister of pharmacists, whose father produced medicines at home in the Netherlands, brings a unique experience to her training in horticultural engineering, where alchemy, chemistry, science, and nature converge in her creations.
His artistic journey focuses on processes of intervention in materials and objects, transforming the process itself into raw material. Emphasizing the reinterpretation of elements, this approach not only manifests materially, but also extends as a metaphor for the continuous flow of inner experiences and reflections.
By incorporating reused materials and perishable elements of nature, such as plants and herbs, combined with intervention through chemical or biological processes, Maussen seeks to transcend mere visual creation. Terrariums designed by her exemplify this concept, where part of the matter decomposes, while another part gives rise to new life. This dynamic is also observed in drawings on salt slabs, subject to transformations over time, and on copper plates, which oxidize, fade, and change color.
The uniqueness of this approach, inspired by contemporary artistic expressions and post-expressionist trends, guides Maussen's gaze to explore his inner self. This process reverberates in the art, creating pictorial and symbolic spaces that capture experiences deeply rooted in human experience. Maussen's art is not merely the representation of a static moment, but rather a constantly evolving narrative, where the transitioning elements become symbols of the continuous process of self-reflection and self-exploration.
Born in 1975 in Heerlen, Netherlands. Lives and works in São Paulo.
In my research, I explore the tensions between discomfort and freedom, between the intimate and the material. I incorporate symbols such as crosses, labyrinths, everyday furniture, and monsters, which evoke metamorphosis. Along this path, the figure of the porcupine emerged as an image associated with the experience of menopause, bringing together fragility and protection. More recently, the color red has taken center stage, linked to the womb and vital intensity.
These ideas are realized through means such as embroidery, salting, crystallization and thinning, and also through the reinterpretation of common objects, such as a chair that offers no rest or a dollhouse transformed into a crystallized ruin.
I understand materiality as a space for experimentation where body and memory meet in layers. Whenever possible, I work with materials I already have or that I find and reuse, in a gesture of environmental awareness and care for the world.
Education
2024 LabPerformance, with Luanna Jimenes, Galeria Gare
2024 Artist Talk - with Ana Avelar and Magnólia Costa, in partnership with Alê Espaço de Arte
"2022-25 IN PROGRESS" - Mentoring Contemporary Artistic Practices, Nathalia Cruz
2023-24 Art Mentoring, Fanny Grinfeld
2022 Artist Mentoring, Pigment. Casa Contemporânea, São Paulo-SP
2021 Shooting, with Julie Belfer
2020 History of Art, with Rodrigo Naves
2019 Artist Mentoring, with Fanny Grinfeld
2019 London Cultural, with Ana Paula Pontes and Patrícia Martins, Mackenzie University
1994-98 Horticultural Engineering. Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen, Geel-Belgium
Awards
2025 Vinhedo Art Salon, Vinhedo - SP - Honorary Award
Solo Exhibitions
2024 "Flood in the Sky", curated by Nathalia Cruz, Espaço 8 - Cultural Center, São Paulo - SP
Performances and Actions
2025 #nomorediscipline - Pinacoteca Municipal São Caetano do Sul - SP
2025 #nomorediscipline - Exhibition Stitching Memories and Geometries - Gare Gallery - SP
Group Exhibitions
2025 31st Visual Arts Exhibition of Praia Grande - SP
2025 From the thread that weaves affections, curated by Marina Frúgoli. Pinacoteca Municipal São Caetano do Sul-SP
2025 Del hilo que teje afectos, curated by Katia Salvani - Museo de las mujeres - Costa Rica
2025 4th Small Format Exhibition, Oposta Espaço Inventivo. Limeira - SP
2025 Paranapiacaba Photography Festival - Projection. Paranapiacaba - SP
2025 Vinhedo Art Salon, Vinhedo - SP
2025 FioAção. Alê Art Space. São Paulo-SP
2024 Játombei! MUDDA Museum of the After Tomorrow. Goiânia-GO
2024 2nd Small Format Exhibition, Oposta Espaço Inventivo. Limeira - SP
2024 Constellations: Lines that weave dreams, Alê Art Space. São Paulo-SP
2024 Side by Side, to get closer, Galeria Gare, São Paulo - SP
2024 Mail Art - 100th Anniversary of Luiz Sacilotto, Casa Âmbar de Cultura - Santo André-SP
2024 Hearts Beyond Measure - A tribute to Rochelle Costa, Casa do Povo, São Paulo-SP.
2023 Hearts Beyond Measure - A tribute to Rochelle Costa, Solar dos Abacaxis, RJ.
2023 28th Vinhedo Art Salon, Vinhedo - SP
2023 VI BIG International Biennial of Small Format in Guarulhos, Guarulhos - SP
2023 Art in Times of Change: Mail Art Exhibition, FPA, São Paulo - SP
2022 XXXIV Visual Arts Exhibition Eng. Julio Capobianco, Historical and Cultural Institute, Arceburgo - MG
2022 On Tour Lido. Galleria Europa, Lido di Camaiore - Italy
2022 On Tour Florence. Galleria Merlino, Florence - Italy
2022 SAC - Art Salon, Gallery Spt, Nazaré - Portugal
