Geertje Marquardt studied Interior architecture and industrial design in Scandinavia and Germany where she received several diplomas and a Master of Arts degree in Stage and Costume design at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany. Since then, she is dealing with space in a more artistic way and sees nature as the perfect playground for experiments and new artworks.
She comes from Rostock and now lives near Berlin. She works professionally as an interior architect, designer, stage designer, photographer and artist. Based in Potsdam, she travels all over the world to create works of art using the ephemeral materials of snow, ice, willow, straw and hay. She has been working as an artist at the Icehotel in northern Sweden for many years. Her love of snow and ice led her to cross the Greenland ice sheet on skis in 2023 at the age of almost 50.
Ephemeral art celebrates transience, change, and transformation—central themes in my artistic practice. Using materials like straw, hay, snow, and ice, Geertje explores how space, material, and viewer can merge and interact, creating a dialogue between art and environment. Each work becomes a research task, testing how these natural, impermanent elements can shape experiences and foster connection.
Her goal is to inspire sensitivity to nature, climate change, and our shared environment. By working with materials that fade, melt, or decompose, Geertje emphasizes the beauty of impermanence and the cycles of life. This process reminds us of our responsibility to live in harmony with the earth.
Geertje will be inviting people to step out of their comfort zones, embrace the unexpected, and rediscover the wonder of the natural world. These encounters spark new experiences that strengthen our community and our bond with the environment, encouraging a more adventurous and conscious way of living.
Born in 1962, Vilnius, Lietuva, Vytautas Musteikis currently lives in Lithuania and loves working in the fresh air. He is a 1986 graduate of Vilnius University with a degree in history specializing in archaeology. He worked for 14 years as a researcher and lecturer of Lithuanian Folk Culture. Vytautas considers himself a visual anthropologist who documents disappearing customs and traditions. In recent years, he has worked as a stonemason and stone sculptor on projects with his brother. They designed two art suites at the Icehotel Sweden out of snow and ice. Considered a veteran sculptor with an eye for detail, he is artistically and constructively involved in the building of the famous ephemeral hotel every year. During the warmer months, Vytautas creates artworks from other perishable materials, such as flammable and non-flammable hay and straw sculptures in both Lithuania and Canada.
Ephemeral art embodies a deep connection with nature and a commitment to sustainability. By creating temporary works, Vytautas embraces the fleeting beauty of the moment while minimizing the ecological footprint. Unlike permanent pieces that can contribute to environmental strain, ephemeral art respects the surrounding landscape, leaving it untouched or even enriched after the artwork fades.
This approach is playful and experimental. If a sculpture doesn’t resonate, it can be dismantled, burned, or returned to the earth, leaving the space open for new possibilities. Each creation becomes part of a cycle—a dialogue with the natural world—where failure or imperfection simply invites the chance to craft something better.
Working with organic and impermanent materials allows him to engage directly with the environment. The process is dynamic, often shaped by the elements themselves—wind, water, sunlight, or decay. In this way, ephemeral art becomes a collaboration with nature, reminding us of its impermanence and resilience, and encouraging us to live in harmony with it.
This art form is both freeing and profound: a celebration of transformation, impermanence, and the endless opportunities for renewal.
These two talented artists will be talking about Performance Ephemeral Art. Tickets are $10 and you can register here.
Event Details
- February 12, 2025
- 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
- 4525 47A Ave, Red Deer, Alberta, T4N 6Z6, AB, Canada
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International sculpture artists Vytautas Musteikis and Geertje Marquardt will be visiting the Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery to talk about their careers in public art and particularly in sculpting with natural mediums and elements.