Saskia Olde Wolbers

Saskia Olde Wolbers studied at St. Martins and Chelsea Colleges of Art and Design in London and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. She won the Baloise Prize in 2003 and the Beck’s Future Prize a year later. In the Netherlands she is represented by Galerie Diana Stigter in Amsterdam.


Even though her virtual worlds suggest otherwise, the work of Saskia Olde Wolbers has not been digitally manipulated. She builds her imaginary surroundings by hand, a process that can take years. Her use of everyday material, often metal and plastic, illustrates the way in which Olde Wolbers values the truth of film above digital illusion.

Olde Wolbers’ futuristic sequences of images are a contrast to the monotone and detached voice of the commentary, similar to nature documentaries. Her works of art are often based on true stories about people who have lost touch with reality. The films are given dreamlike dimensions by using loops and special effects.

By Yasmijn Jarram