Art en béton - Maja Ouwerkerk

My name is Maja Ouwerkerk, I'm Swiss German and I was born in 1956. I grew up in Schaffhausen.

I've been living in this beautiful region since 2016. I've been at home in Buxy since 2020. You can also discover my creations here.

I've always loved working creatively, especially making wreaths. Here I discovered that concrete could be used not only to lay tiles, but also to create decorative objects. So I started with rhubarb leaves and, over time, kept trying new things. You can see the results in the photos on my website.

My motivation

After moving house and the stress of leaving Switzerland for France, Parkinson's disease set in.

I soon had to give up my hobbies, such as making door wreaths or playing the cello, because of coordination problems. When I was looking for a new activity, I found a bag of leftover concrete. I started decorating our garden with concrete rhubarb leaves. The pleasure of tinkering helped me to get through this difficult period.

A doctor once told me that anything that gives us pleasure stimulates the production of dopamine. With the help of my story, I'd like to encourage you to find an activity that gives you pleasure, even if it doesn't require great hand coordination. Look for a substitute for anything that no longer works the way you want it to. I've started knitting again, and even though I sometimes have to give up, I always try to start again. I don't want to let this illness get me down.

I also find my motivation in the text I presented at my exhibition. "Even with tears in my eyes, I stand up and say with a smile that all is well." In fact, I've given up hope of a divorce with Parkinson's, because it's not possible. He flatly refuses.

Thank you for listening. If anyone is interested in finding out more about my hobby or even coming to my house to make something themselves, they are very welcome.