Dejong, Samuel

The Netherlands, 1971

Sculptures

Samuel Dejong has been making the beauty of insects visible to the general public for many years. “If you only look superficially, you sometimes don’t see how beautiful nature actually is. In particular the beauty of the foundation of our ecosystem: insects. Few other animals are so elegant and fragile, but at the same time so strong and indestructible. Only when you look at these special creatures under a microscope, their true aesthetic becomes clear. So refined, so detailed, so special.” said Dejong.

As a child, Dejong already showed an extraordinary interest in biology and chemistry. Despite the fact that art has always attracted him, he nevertheless opted to study medicine in order to eventually work as a surgeon. In his spare time, he was always painting. Five years ago he decided to focus on creating art. Today, Samuel has several studios, in which he works on new series every day. To find inspiration, Samuel goes out to nature and visually researches. “I don’t want to use real insects in my art. That makes it too perishable. That’s why I make replicas of insects for my work. As a result, the beauty of the insect is immortalized and its fragility is enhanced.”