Strandbeesten

The Hague artist Theo Jansen has become world-famous for his imposing and ingenious strandbeests, which are much more than art objects. They actually try to create dunes themselves. Taking his inspiration from the theory of evolution, Jansen taught his strandbeests to gracefully flap on the sea breeze or to independently move around on the beach. Using PVC tubing, adhesive tape and PET bottles, he set out to imitate earthly creation in his own highly distinctive way in hopes of gaining insight into nature, a quest in which he encounters the same problems that faced the real Creator. His ultimate aim is to have herds of his creations roam the beach all on their own. 'Give me another couple of million years, and my strandbeests will live completely independently.'

Strandbeesten – The New Generation is the book accompanying the exhibition, Theo Jansen. Strandbeesten, de nieuwe generatie, which runs at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag from 26 February to 3 July 2022.

Text in English and Dutch.

About the Author

Theo Jansen (b. 1948) began studying physics in Delft, then started work as an artist. Between 1986 and 2008 he was the author of a regular column in de Volkskrant. Jansen was named Artist of the Year 2018 in November 2017 and received The Hague's Culture Award in 2018.

111 colour, 10 b/w illustrations