Marieke’s work continues to explore the human figure, considering how sculpture mimics the three-dimensionality of a human presence and thus the powerful dialogue it invites – human-to-human look-alike. Her fascination with the human body as a carrier of stories led her to focus on public art, mostly cast in cement. Concrete, that humble material of sidewalks and skyscrapers has become an urban language and is significant, telling our stories back to us.
 
The instinctive recognition that figurative sculpture elicits from its ‘real’ living viewer has brought about innumerable interpretations, from ancient to modern art making. As such it has generated a deep, communal reservoir of expression, one to which each new piece adds depth and complexity. Marieke’s sculpture ever seeks to make the layered experience of everyday life more understandable, and more meaningful -  setting in place sculpted bodies as carriers of stories and dreams - of honouring the past, preserving the present and hoping for the future. As the sculptures flit through these static moments they set them in stone and hallow them from profane to sacred, turning the viewing of each into a rite of passage. And so their story becomes an invitation. She models mostly in wax and clay and casts in cement composites, resin composites and bronze.

​

In January 2018, Marieke was commissioned by Rand Merchant Bank South Africa to create Africa’s Fearless Thinker. The sculpture was to celebrate and embrace feminine leadership in the corporate world.  Authenticity in choices, appreciating the impact women make, both financially and through policy, and creating a space where women are as able as men to thrive. She stands proudly at RMB Merchant Place, Sandton and RMB/FNB Portswood Precinct, Cape Town.

​

In January 2019 she established a studio in the hamlet of Prince Albert, Great Karoo, South Africa where she has been drawing inspiration for over a decade. In August of 2019, Marieke was invited to be exhibited at the Summer Show in Knokke, Belgium. 2020 allowed for a rare opportunity to consolidate, consider, conceptualise and plan in between managing the new order of life that the year brought. In 2021 Marieke decided to spend some time in Cornwall, England, to allow her to explore the roots of that which she works with every day and the ancient artisanal trades associated with clay and metal mining. She concurrently began a large private commission, to be released in 2023. 

​

2022 was dedicated to and focused on the production of a Swimmer Series in maquette to be released in the latter part of 2023. In late 2022, Marieke’s long-standing desire to capture her three-dimensional figures in a two-dimensional form, began. To be released in 2023. A ‘Small Summer Show’ was also held at Walker Bay Modern Art, Hermanus, South Africa.

​

Marieke opened her studio for Cornwall Open Studios in June 2023. The Swimmer maquette series and print series take up most of the rest of the year. Marieke is married and very involved with her three teenage children. They constantly provide invaluable insight into the very dynamic and turbulent nature of the human journey.

​

​