"Valorosa Stool" Sculpture

Sandra Keja Planken creates sculptural worlds through textile, glass, rope, cord and spatial installation.

Her practice explores the relationship between material, nature and perception. Coral reefs, underwater landscapes, forests, organic growth and changing ecosystems form recurring points of departure. Growing up between the Mediterranean coast of Spain and the Netherlands, she was shaped by two distinct cultures and landscapes. The contrast between them fostered a fascination with how people experience, use, and connect with nature, natural materials and their surroundings.

Rather than representing nature directly, the works develop into imagined organisms, landscapes and habitats of their own.

Research begins with place, observation and material. Residual yarns, reclaimed fibres, recycled plastics, wool, rope and glass are brought together through weaving, passementerie, hand techniques and experimental material processes. Industrial methods and slow handwork meet within the same work, allowing structure and intuition to exist side by side.

The work often moves between softness and strength, control and irregularity, abundance and vulnerability. Layers, openings, knots, loops and hanging structures create surfaces that appear to grow beyond their own boundaries.

Ecological vulnerability and the changing relationship between humans and the natural world run throughout the practice. Wonder remains central. The works invite a slower form of looking and occupy a space somewhere between sculpture, landscape, creature and imagined ecosystem.

In 2026 Planken was selected for Saatchi Art Rising Stars, within the chapter Illuminate. Her work has been presented in institutional, gallery and independent art contexts in the Netherlands and internationally.