From a childhood surrounded by nurseries and tulip fields in the Netherlands to a tranquil life amid the breathtaking Yarra Ranges, Joost Bakker travels to commercial restaurants, bars and private clients around Melbourne creating his own niche of prolific installations.
Bakker’s signature style combines industrial elements with plant-based displays, referencing space and the myriad of ways we engage with natural forms. He utilises everyday items teamed with natural, living elements, redeploying found objects and combining them with the colour of fresh flowers and foliage for dramatic effect.
A recent example of this was his design and installment of ‘Joost’s Greenhouse’, a temporary café and bar structure located at Federation Square, Melbourne, made entirely of recycled and recyclable materials. Joost’s Greenhouse has since been disassembled and transported to Milan, Italy.
‘I always leave elements of my work unfinished. Plants don’t finish growing; they flower, seed, die and re-grow. Artwork and buildings should be treated in the same way, unfinished and allowed to evolve over time.’ |
