Mamakan is a New Zealand based botanical artist. Her large-scale museum installations are known for their experiential and sensorial qualities, where she immerses visitors into living the story using visuals, touch, sounds, scent and sometimes even food & drinks.
Mamakan Studio was set up in January 2020 as a collaborative art studio, inspired by her intuition for a need to experience botanical art online. By exploring different aspects of the beauty of botanicals through interactive and immersive art virtually, new connections with nature, our senses, ourselves and cultural history can be made across physical borders and limitations.
Mamakan's personal voyage of discovery began in Arhus, Denmark as 'Mette Kristine Oustrup'. Thus, she was not born Mamakan, she became Mamakan over the years. Her artistic purpose and practice is to channel nature's wisdom to the world through the beauty of contemporary botanical art. In fact, the name Mamakan means 'Mother Nature is able'.
Botanical art is a powerful reminder of our local heritage and connection to nature through plants. Contemporary botanical art that's designed to create intense sensorial experiences for the audience, has the potency of healing emotions and regrowing our roots. Mamakan, her husband Quinten and their three children are currently growing their roots in the beautiful forests of Waitakere, Auckland, New Zealand after years of moving between Denmark, Brazil, Belgium, Hong Kong, Italy, France and Singapore. When not out and about on botanical field trips or working in the studio, she is hiking the hills, trying out gardening and feeding an ever growing flock of chickens.
Mamakan
Born January 1971 in Aarhus, Denmark
Currently lives and works in Parau, Auckland, New Zealand
Short bio here.
2015 Studied Charcoal Drawing at NAFA Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore
2015-2016 Studied Fine Arts: Figure Drawing, Drawing Using the Right Side of the Brain, Oil Painting at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore
2016: Studied Art History: Asian Art at LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore
2004-2016 Goodwill Ambassador of Copenhagen
Selected Exhibitions, Press and Projects
2020-21
- Seasons of the Land, New Zealand with Auckland Museum
- Peranakan Botany, native and edible plants from China and SouthEast Asia
- Kohekohe Love, an online viewing room. Premiere May/June
- Launching the Panel for Emotions, Art and Senses (PEAS), March
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Wisdom and Nature 2020-2021 by Le Ciel Foundation. Exhibition at Christie’s New York 28 February - 4 March 2020 and Christie’s London early 2021.
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Wildflowers of London. Preview at Tate Modern on 31st of January 2020
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Commission for Titirangi Earth Festival 2020
2019
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A Beautiful Forest: Mycelium Dinners, New Zealand + Global
- Participating Studio at Open Studios Waitakere 2020
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Commission for the Spring Festival 2019 for Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School
- Commission for Titirangi Earth Festival 2019
2018
- Participant at the inaugural Holistic Visions Symposium by Le Ciel Foundation, Barcelona, Spain, Nov/Dec.
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Daughter of the Soil, for OH! Emerald Hill Art Tours 3 - 25 March for Openhouse.org. Singapore
- Women in Arts, Launching Committee. Premiere and performances, Singapore, 9th March
- Commision in the memory of Miss Agnes Joaquim. Singpost, February
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After the Rainbow. Field trip to Durban and Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, February
- Commission for Singapore Post in the memory of Agnes Joaquim, February
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Singapore Art Week, You Art What You Eat, 20th January at Tippling Club, Singapore
2017
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Treasure Island, National Museum of Singapore, 28 April to 25 June
- Invisible Realities. Mamakan Dinner Performance for The Performance Theatre, National Museum of Singapore, 15 June
- Edible Wild with Mamakan. TV. Channel News Asia (CNA), October 28
- Finissage including Artist Performance, National Museum of Singapore, 23 June
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Treasure Trails, National Museum of Singapore, 27 May to 18 June
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Field trip to Leuser National Park, North Sumatra, August. See Forbidden Fruit
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Talk at KOHLER Pecha Kucha, A Night of Discovery, The Working Capitol, Singapore, 31 August
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Talk at Excellent Sheep by The Tropicalist, WOWhaus, Singapore, 19 August
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BOTANICA Social Cocktail, Duxton Park, 19 May
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Art & Food: Botanical Treasures of Singapore Series: Noni Fruits, Mahota Commune, 12 May. Mahota x Mamakan Pop-up, Mahota Commune, 8 March
- Pecha Kucha Night Singapore HERITAGE ON SHOW, National Museum of Singapore, 9 May
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GastroGeography of Singapore, National Parks Board (NParks), Galleri Nila, 4 March to 14 May
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An Afternoon of Art & Food, Singapore Art Museum (SAM), 18 February
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Contributor to 70 x 7 The Meal Act XL by Studio Orta, NTU Centre for Contemporary Art, Gillman Barracks, 20 January
2016
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GastroGeography of Singapore, Mamakan Art Collective, WOWhaus and Fort Canning, Singapore Biennale 2016, October 2016 to February 2017
- The Foragers of Singapore. South China Morning Post, December
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Forbidden Fruit at Royal Danish Embassy, SIM University, Singapore Management University (SMU), September 2015 to March 2016
2015
- Multaia, (Student Project) NUS Yale, 1-30 September
2013-2015
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Don't Grow Up Theory. Introducing Innovation Culture to Businesses, Governments and Institutions
2012
- Rainforest Cuisine by Mamakan and Andre Chiang, November 2011 to June 2012
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Urban Eco-Warriors, Borneo and Singapore, June 2012
2011
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Cafe Timor-Leste, Timor Leste and Singapore. Presented to the President of Timor-Leste on 24 Feb 2012
- Participant in the inaugural Bhutan on Happiness and Competitiveness hosted by the Government of Bhutan
2010
- Curator and Initiator for the first Asian Summit for Sustainable Innovation
2009-2013
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Bionomic Age: Qi Global, National Museum of Singapore, School of Art, Design & Media - Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Goodman Arts Centre
2009
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Curator for Design for Sustainability and Circle Economy by Qi Global, Former Supreme Court Building (Now National Gallery), December and National Museum of Singapore, October
2006-2009
- Elemetal Experience Design. France, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, Thailand, New York.
2001-2005
- Mood Consumption, Style-Vision France