Frequently asked questions

Wiebe van Dingen (born in Loppersum in 1954) is a visual artist from Apeldoorn. Since 1992 he has been making sculptures from found materials, especially wood he finds on the Veluwe, as well as jewellery. He taught art in secondary education, gives creative workshops and is the maker of the prayer nut. Read more on About Wiebe.

Wiebe van Dingen makes sculptures from found wood: broken-off branches, roots and tree stumps from the Veluwe. In their gnarled and damaged shapes he sees human figures. He peels and works the wood and combines it with metal, copper, glass, terracotta or bone. His work is about faith, hope and the way people treat one another. Examples include Reconciliation, The Emmaus Travellers and Dalit. Take a look at his artworks.

Mainly wood, and often materials he finds: branches from the woods, pallet wood, scrap metal and old roof tiles. He also works with metal, copper, glass, terracotta, bronze and bone. For jewellery he uses silver, gold, gemstones and natural materials such as pebbles and shells.

Wiebe van Dingen lives and works in Apeldoorn and exhibits throughout the Netherlands, often in churches and museums. His work has been shown at Museum Lunteren, the Catharinakerk in Doetinchem, the Grote Kerk in Epe and the Bovenkerk in Kampen, among other places. Current exhibitions are listed under News.

Yes. You can buy existing work or commission a new piece. Get in touch via the contact form and Wiebe will discuss the possibilities with you.

Yes, art rental and exhibitions, for example in a church, are possible. Get in touch to discuss the possibilities.

Yes. Wiebe is also a goldsmith and makes jewellery from silver, gold, gemstones and natural materials. You can design a personal piece of jewellery together with him or have one made. Get in touch.

These include The creative process, Design your own jewellery, The art of finding, Into the woods and Down by the river. A tailor-made workshop is possible too. See Workshops.

Yes, for companies, youth clubs, schools, churches, groups of friends or simply for yourself. Request a workshop via the form on the Workshops page.

A prayer nut is a small wooden travel altar that opens like a nut. You write your prayer or the name of someone dear to you inside it and carry it with you in your pocket. Wiebe van Dingen makes them by hand, inspired by the medieval prayer nuts he saw at the Rijksmuseum some forty years ago. The accompanying explanation is available in more than 50 languages. You can read everything about the prayer nut at gebedsnoot.nl.

At gebedsnoot.nl, the prayer nut website. There you can see the different prayer nuts and order one, including with a name, logo or ornament of your own.

Yes. The short documentary “Seek and you will find” (“Zoekt en gij zult vinden”) shows how Wiebe searches, finds and makes. The film was screened in 2017 at the Sabaoth film festival in Milan and has subtitles in English, German, French, Italian and Portuguese, among other languages. Wiebe also featured in ‘De kunst van God?’ (The Art of God?) by Hans van Dalen, on TV Gelderland and Family7. The documentary is on the homepage.

On the News page Wiebe writes about exhibitions, new work, workshops and the prayer nut.