MARTIJN VAN WAGTENDONK was born in 1974 in the Netherlands.  After study at the Willem de Kooning Academie van Beeldende Kunsten (Academy of Visual Arts), in Rotterdam, van Wagtendonk received his BFA in sculpture from the Fontys Academie voor Beeldende Vorming (Academy for Visual Forming) in Tilburg.  In order to pursue graduate studies, van Wagtendonk moved to the United States. He went on to receive an MFA in sculpture from the Ohio State University, and later, to bolster his interest in video and cinematic arts, he received an MFA in Experimental Animation from the School of Film and Video at California Institute of the Arts. 

This combination of study is evident when looking at van Wagtendonk’s work – which is typically a conglomeration of 3D pieces, mechanics, and projected film – all designed and handcrafted by the artist.  Van Wagtendonk has been based in Athens, GA since 2004 when he took a position at the University of Georgia (UGA) in the Studio Foundations area of the Art department.  His work has been shown at UGA in an exhibition entitled Mechanical and Metaphysical Phenomenon.  Other solo exhibition locations include Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI; the University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL; Southeastern Contemporary Art Gallery, Hammond, LA; and the Black + White Studio, Valencia, CA.  Notable group exhibitions: Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC; and Museum Gorcum, Gorcum, Netherlands.

Support for van Wagtendonk's work has been given through the Willson Center for Humanities and Art, the California Institute of the Arts Merit Award, a Film Grant from Eastman Kodak and Ideas for Creative Exploration (ICE) and The University of Georgia Research Foundation (UGARF) who were significant sponsors of Trickle into a Lower Chamber at The Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia (MOCA GA).