1976
Born in The Netherlands

1994 - 1998
Academie voor Beeldende Vorming Tilburg, The Netherlands

Working in a Dutch tradition with a fondness for realism, Gurt Swanenberg merges his fascination for 17th century natural history collections with images of today's consumer's society. In a rapidly changing world, dominated by man's desire to consume, painted pinned insects show their adaptive skills to survive. Working with a large collection of real specimens and using images of today's advertising industry, a modern-style "Wunderkammer" is being created. In his "scientific research", a humorous, but also disturbing view is given on man's ecological footprint.