BAUKJE SPALTRO (1967)
BIOGRAPHY
I’m a Dutch Italian artist based in Amsterdam. Born in Milan and raised in different Dutch cities, I developed an interest in the ‘sense of a place’.
I studied Painting, Theatre Design and AV at the Art Academy Utrecht (1991 NL). Later, I earned a Master of Painting in Amsterdam (Amsterdam Institute for Painting 1994) and developed my Master's in Milan (prof Breschi at the Art Academy Brera 1997). In 2002, I concluded a project management course to begin my art projects, like City Spheres. In 2017, I followed the ENGAGE Public Art School of Viafarini (Milan, Italy), where I focused on the connection between ‘engaged’ painting and social issues. My art practice consists of creating autonomous painting series and working with local communities.
Nowadays my work is inspired by the Roman genius loci (idea of the spirit of a place) and the trilogy Spheres by philosopher Peter Sloterdijk. It focuses on the sense of European urban areas.
My artistic practice is rooted in the belief that every construction—be it a painting, an urban space, a neighborhood, a city, or a contemporary society—possesses an inner light, an intangible soul. Through my ongoing project City Spheres, I invite viewers to reflect on the hidden essence of the places that surround us. Since 2015 I visited ten European cities to unveil the hidden urban light in painted installations I call City Spheres. Each neighbourhood has it’s own energy and color combinations.
In this project I invite the public to experience the urban soul and forge a deeper connection with the cities we inhabit. In an era of environmental and social crises, my work employs imagination and colour, particularly fluorescent backgrounds, to propose new perspectives and narratives for urban life. Inspired by genius loci of the Romans and Sloterdijk’s Spheres*, I focus on the atmosphere and interconnectedness of neighborhoods, using color to symbolise the hidden urban identity.
My work explores the chromatic perception of the genius loci— for me the soul of a place—and last years specifically within the Corvetto district of Milan. I am fascinated by how this soul, often concealed beneath the surface of everyday life, shapes our emotional landscape and collective memory.
I paint the urban atmosphere, using fluorescent color to influence perception and encourage a more imaginative and intuitive engagement with surroundings. Each City Sphere is based on a month-long residency in a European neighborhood, culminating in a collective presentation with local participants. The resulting studio works are layered and vibrant, inviting viewers to sense the urban identity as a co-created and heart-based space. I realized City Spheres in several European cities and exhibited at DeVishal (Haarlem, NL), Kunsthal45 (Den Helder, NL), Museum de Fundatie (Zwolle, NL), Galerie BMB, Art Chapel and Loods6 (Amsterdam, NL), Museum Hilversum (Hilversum, NL), Soma Art Gallery (Berlin, D) Viafarini and Fabbrica del Vapore (Milan, It) and B-Galleria and Barker Theater (Turku, Fin).
My work is part of art collections like the Art Collection of Amsterdam (NL), DELA Art Collection (NL), Marti Clerici Collection (CH), Sanquin Art Collection (NL) and TTG Art Collection (I). I participated at several art fairs including Kunstrai (NL), Art Verona (I) and Art Fair Karlsruhe (D).
I won the Ritz Honour Art Prize of the International Art Biennial SIART 2005 (Bolivia) and was nominated for the Combat Art Prize 2012 (I), Premio Zambelli 2015 (I) and Beeldend Gesproken Art Prize (NL).
Often I work on commissions with individuals and companies, and use my co-creative artistic methodology for community engagement. With this tool, I created the artwork InsideOUT Panorama in 2018, with a community of 200 Frysian (ex) mental patients, made for the Leeuwarden Cultural Capital of Europe 2018. In 2023, I was commissioned by the VU Amsterdam University.
Baukje Spaltro lives in Amsterdam (NL) and works often on location.
More info:
- Statement and manifesto: www.baukjespaltro.com
- City Spheres project: www.baukjespaltro.com/cityspheres-2/
- Documentary films: www.baukjespaltro.com/films/
