Harmen Brethouwer (1960) is a Dutch artist whose work is centred on two long-term projects, each rooted in an established craft tradition and approached anew through the materials and techniques that define it.

For The Transformed Bell, Brethouwer works with Royal Eijsbouts, a leading European bell foundry. Since the seventeenth century, when Pieter and François Hemony mastered the principles of harmonic tuning, the church bell has maintained its familiar form and voice. Brethouwer reimagines the bell as both a sculptural object and a musical instrument. The challenge is to give the bell a new form while preserving its characteristic sound.

The Japanese Lacquer Series is developed in collaboration with lacquer practitioners. Urushi — the Japanese word for lacquer — is a medium whose particular properties have given rise to a highly specialised discipline. Brethouwer works from within these conditions while reconsidering what lacquer can be within his own artistic practice. The inherent qualities of the medium become the subject of the work and are presented in their own right.