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Obbe van der Weide (1996) examines how body and mind are shaped – and distorted – by the constant flow of information in the digital age, in a world where algorithms, advertising and digital stimuli compete for our attention. His at times alien-like sculptures embody that which has no body: the invisible mechanisms of the digital domain. Alienation and emotional disorientation are central to his practice. In this way, Van der Weide confronts the viewer with the subtle erosion of our conception of the human under the influence of ubiquitous technology.
OS (2025–2026) is an installation comprising three sculptures made of galvanized resin. With this work, Van der Weide reflects on the gradual shift in his artistic practice from figurative forms to abstract narratives. Voids resulting from 3D-printing processes and deliberate ruptures lead to reconstructions that he fuses into new figures with shifting proportions. The sculptures experiment with scale and relationships, revealing how interpretation, emotion and meaning are continually reconfigured. In OS, Van der Weide no longer treats technology merely as a tool, but as the dominant framework through which humans understand the world. He gives form to technology as an abstract, living entity: an invisible force that carries, envelops and at times constricts organic structures. In doing so, he explores how the digital has become self-evident – almost natural –within our existence.
Written by Kelly-ann van Steveninck