Article in the Veluwse Courant of 12 May ’26

Following a visit by Greet Kappers to my exhibition “GEVONDEN” in the Catharinakerk in Doetinchem, she interviewed me, and the article has now appeared in the Veluwse Courant:

I clean the wound and a person emerges

Wiebe van Dingen from Apeldoorn makes the most beautiful sculptures from wood and other so-called worthless material. It all began with making ‘prayer nuts’, a treasure dating from the beginning of our era.

Wiebe was about seventeen when a friend said to him, out of the blue: “I have the feeling that God wants to tell you something. He is going to give you a treasure, and it will honour Him.” It then took ten years before the meaning of this statement became clear. Wiebe: “I knew there was something waiting for me, but I had no idea what it was or where I could find it.

Ten years later, when I was twenty-seven, I went to the Rijksmuseum. There someone pointed out to me an object from the Middle Ages, a sphere of boxwood divided into two halves. On the inside of these two halves very fine little scenes had been carved, in which I recognised the birth, suffering and death of Jesus. The two halves were joined by a hinge. It was clear that this was something to take along on a journey: the gospel in a nutshell. It was the first time I saw a ‘prayer nut’. A few years later I got the idea of bringing this medieval treasure back to life in a different way. I had the thought that God wants to reveal Himself and to dwell among people. He is the hearer of prayer. In this, my hands are an instrument. That is how I began making small prayer nuts from wood. On the flat insides the owner can write something: a name, a symbol, a prayer that you always carry with you. A travel altar for those on the road. When the prayer has been answered, or when you feel it has served its purpose, you simply take a piece of sandpaper to rub away what was written and write something new.”

As a Christian and an artist, Wiebe serves all people, believers or not. The Bible is the foundation from which he lives. What drives him is the inspiring voice of God, Who is intent on giving others moments of joy and happiness. By making his sculptures he can pass on something of what Christianity is at its core for him: Love in action.

He says: “I was once at an exhibition with my prayer nuts. Very early in the morning a man came up to me who immediately recognised what I had laid out there. That was very strange, because it was the first time I had presented the prayer nut. How could he know what this was? He turned out to come from Iraq and told me that in the Christian congregations there, on Christian feast days the church leaders always wear a prayer shawl or robe with a prayer nut in their inner pocket. Prayer nuts are as old as the first church in Acts 2, and date from before denominations existed. The prayer nut also takes me back to that period of the first Christian communities. I feel very connected to that.”

Trust

Wiebe talks about how he looks at himself and others. “As human beings we often founder on good intentions. But what we need is to trust in the quiet presence of God. For that you need patience and an open ear. You can ask yourself: how long do you want to wait until God reveals Himself to you? And in the meantime you meet other people, share important things with one another from the heart, and you can keep passing that on. The art I make is inspired, which means it is filled with spirit. And that inspiration does not come from me, but through me from God.” Many of the sculptures Wiebe makes are human figures emerging from wood. He uses wood that he finds in the woods, broken or wind-blown branches that have ended up on the ground. The wood is not unscathed, but has ‘wounds’. He sums up what he makes of it in the words: “I clean the wound and a person emerges.” Among other things he has placed two figures together (below) called ‘The Emmaus Travellers’, and a sculpture of a figure with a disc of gemstone, like a flame, on top of its head: Pentecost.

How this artist manages to reach others with his sculptures and prayer nuts is made clear by the following anecdote: “I was once at a revival meeting in Vierhouten with my stall of prayer nuts and objects. Two young people with no church background were interested in my art and bought two prayer nuts. I got into a fascinating conversation with them. Some time later they contacted me, because they had immersed themselves in the Bible and wanted to be baptised. They had been to various churches but did not feel at home there. They came to see me one Sunday and, after a long conversation, asked whether I would baptise them. Later I baptised them in the IJssel. Their brother, a tough type, had come along with them and did not seem to think much of the whole thing. But years later he contacted me, because he too had come to the realisation that he wanted to follow Jesus. I baptised him as well, and afterwards we had a big celebration. I am still in touch with all of them.”

Seizing opportunities

Since his youth Wiebe has done various jobs. Originally he wanted to become a car mechanic, but that ambition came to an end when the car market collapsed. He then became a cabinetmaker. But he missed contact with people. He found a job as a teaching assistant at a school in Apeldoorn and moved with his family from his birthplace Loppersum to Apeldoorn. There he saw colleagues teaching art, and that inspired him so much that he decided to start studying at the age of 47. At Windesheim University of Applied Sciences he qualified as a fully certified (highest-level) teacher of visual art. He says of this: “You see, sometimes you have to search for your destination, sometimes take steps against your better judgement that will bring you to where you belong. You need a lot for that: patience, trust and courage. All those years I enjoyed teaching young people. I could put a lot of myself into that work: I could give shape to my creativity and at the same time mean something to the young people I taught. The art is to seize your opportunities when they present themselves.”

On 14, 16 and 17 May and from 23 to 25 May there is an exhibition on the theme ‘Elkaar verstaan’ (Understanding one another). It is held in four churches in Gelderland, with artworks by twenty artists, of whom Wiebe is one.

For more information: Feestvandegeest.nl.

More information about the prayer nuts and the art of Wiebe van Dingen: wiebevandingen.com/gebedsnoot

Greet Kappers, Uit de kunst – bij de buren (From the world of art – among the neighbours). Veluwse Courant 12/05/26.