In earlier work her own body, and sometimes that of others, was the subject of Marit Westerhuis’ practice. She subjected herself to countless complex measurements using a variety of often self-built equipment. During her residency at the Rijksakademie she has started to work more broadly. She is no longer interested in merely capturing the human body, but in such matters as evolutionary theories, alchemical experiments, and the very first technological developments, such as the double-sided spear. She is particularly fascinated by the speed with which, once acceleration begins technological development exponentially follow each other.
Westerhuis’ current work visualises a world in which human beings are no longer the dominant from of life (or indeed have self-exterminated) and in which the earth is home to other forms of life. She examines the properties of all kinds of liquids, from water to blood, but also the visual language of the stone and Bronze Ages and the ritualistic actions and reflections on nature as she discovers them in Celtic and Norse Myths. In her work, the rational thinking about progress that technology conveys is accompanied by what is usually considered its counterpart: occultism, sacrifice and the supernatural.