Christiaan Paul Damsté: A Grammar of Fragments: Works from the 1970s

22 April - 27 May 2026

Christiaan Paul Damsté (b. 1944, Arnhem) has developed a distinctive practice centred on assemblage since the 1960s. Associated with the ideas of the Zero movement, his work is grounded in principles of order, structure, and recomposition.

Working with found and industrial materials—ranging from wood to metal—Damsté constructs compositions through a process of selecting, shifting, and assembling. Each element retains its own history of use, while becoming part of a carefully balanced whole.

The wooden reliefs from the 1970s form a key body of work within his oeuvre. Composed from end-grain fragments sourced from timber yards, often marked or painted in their previous function, these works combine a strict geometric framework with a raw, tactile surface. Colour, texture, and irregularity introduce a level of unpredictability within an otherwise ordered structure.

Alongside these, his metal assemblages reflect a more direct, constructivist language. Built from reclaimed steel elements, they recall the clarity of post-war abstraction, while remaining grounded in the weight and presence of the material itself.

Across his work, Damsté explores the tension between system and chance—between control and the inherent unpredictability of found materials—resulting in compositions that are both rigorous and immediate.

All works are acquired directly from the artist’s studio and presented as a focused selection of previously unseen pieces.

Wooden Reliefs
Rediscovered works from the 1970s
Working with found and industrial materials—wood, metal, and everyday remnants—Damsté constructs compositions through a process of selecting, shifting, and stacking. Each element retains its own history, yet becomes part of a carefully balanced whole.

The wooden reliefs from the 1970s mark a key moment in his oeuvre. Composed from end-grain fragments sourced from timber yards, these works combine a strict geometric framework with the raw presence of material: colour codes, markings, and traces of use remain visible. They reveal a tension between control and contingency, between system and irregularity.

These reliefs brings together end-grain wood fragments—originally marked, cut, and used in industrial processes—into a tightly composed geometric structure. Each element retains its own history of color, texture, and coded markings, while contributing to a larger composition .

Working often in series, Damsté explores variations on a theme. These wood reliefs, developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s, reflect his interest in combining found materials with a constructivist logic. The result is a tension between raw material presence and formal clarity—an interplay of structure and irregularity that defines his oeuvre.

Across his work, one principle persists: ordering as an active process—a continuous negotiation between structure and chance.
- Christiaan Paul Damsté, Wooden Relief, ca. 1975