Born in The Netherlands and raised in New Zealand, Sabine Marcelis is an artist who graduated from the Design Academy of Eindhoven in 2011 and now lives and works in the harbour city of Rotterdam. Earning international recognition for her bold experimentation, which pushes the limits of both material and production capabilities, Marcelis strives to capture transient moments of light and movement in her work. Creating a fascinating interplay between the static and the ephemeral, Marcelis incites a sensorial experience that transforms resin and glass into soft, luminescent and dynamic artworks that continually surprise.
Recognised for her talent at a young age, Marcelis was awarded New Zealand Young Designer of the Year, and nominated for a myriad of prestigious grants. Since then Marcelis has been awarded Dezeen ‘Designer of the Year’ (2024); Wallpaper ‘Designer of the Year’ (2020); The Design Prize ‘Newcomer of the Year’ (2019); The Elle Deco International Design Award ‘Young Designer of the Year’ and ‘International Artist of the Year’ (2019).
Since opening her studio, Studio Sabine Marcelis, Marcelis has participated in a series of impressive installation projects including Aesop Vedovelle Fountain for Milan Design Week (2017); Dutch Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival (2017); Art Basel (2018/2019); Belgium Biennale Interieur (2018); Solo Sundial project (2018) for A. Lange & Söhne; Burberry x Opening Ceremony capsule (2018); No Fear of Glass (2019) at the Miles Van de Rohe Foundation, Barcelona; National Gallery of Victoria Triennial (2020); Light Horizon (2022) at Noor Riyadh.
In 2023, she was commissioned for Forever Is Now 03, Pyramids of Giza, Egypt and recently collaborated with Japanese artisans for the London Design
Festival and created THE VONDEL FOUNTAIN, STACKED, in Amsterdam's biggest and most famous park. In 2024 High Museum of Art, Atlanta USA presented Marcelis’ new interactive outdoor sculpture Panorama. Marcelis is the 9th artist to be commissioned by the Wellington Sculpture Trust for the Colin Post 4 Plinths Project, installed between the forecourt of Te Papa Tongarewa and the Wellington waterfront from 2024 - 2026.
In Australia, her works can be found in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide and important private collections.
Marcelis has been represented by Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert since the gallery opened in 2019, and presented her first Australian solo exhibition, Shadow Light, with the gallery in 2022. The exhibition exemplified the complexity and depth of her material-led practice, that unites her diverse artworks through her focus on the interaction between light, colour and material.
