Shady art... By Ines Petit & Liz Gorsen

Light is the opposite of shadow, isn’t it? But Diet Wiegman, an artist from The Netherland, disagrees. This multidisciplinary visual artist uses light to create perfect shadows out of second-hand objects.

                                                                                                      

Wiegman was born on the 24^th January 1944 and grew up in an artistic environment as his father and grandfather were artists too. He studied at the Rotterdam Academy of Arts for four years.

Diet Wiegman in 2012

In his early twenties, he acquired fame as a progressive ceramist because of his truly realistic pieces that could not be distinguished from real objects.

A bulging bag (made of clay) which should go on a "diet"!

Diet Wiegman in 1984, Berlin

           

Because of his work in a multitude of disciplines, he's referred to as an "art omnivore" and launched an art movement which is named after him. His international breakthrough came about because of his ingenious shadow and light sculptures also known as shadow art.

The concept is about illuminating waste objects to create a contrasting image in the form of a highly detailed shadow.

Trashed!

Wiegman was a pioneer. By working with light and shadows for almost forty years, he has inspired a lot of artists through the years.

Deadly night shade...

When people ask him about his work, he simply replies: "I did not invent the phenomenon of shadow; I just make holes in the light!”

Moon(light)walk!

He loves to create art which goes against clichés, laughs at his own seriousness, and makes contradictions in his art. Sometimes it's physical: he destroys his own work to recreate new sculptures made out of the fragments.

Beastly beauty...

You don't need expensive materials to create a beautiful art project... Why not try doing a Wiegman-type work of art yourself?!