Maarten Alexander - designer, collectible design

Maarten Alexander (Rotterdam, 1990) is a Dutch designer working in collectible design. His practice consists of unique pieces, developed through processes in which he gradually renders himself obsolete.

Alexander worked in fashion photography and film in London (2013-2020) and Brussels (2020-2026). It was in Brussels that he began making collectible design. He co-founded the collaboration Middernacht & Alexander and has, since its conclusion, returned to Rotterdam to focus solely on his own practice.

His work operates between strict systems and the autonomy of material. An aesthetic signature is not its point of departure but its intended result, reached through pragmatic discipline.

The collection Arena takes its title from two sources. The first is the Latin harena, meaning sand, the primary component of the pieces. The second is the arena as a proving ground for a first collection.

In his practice he draws on industrial processes such as die casting and injection moulding. Those processes depend on a permanent mould, whereas Arena is made by casting in sand instead, in a mould rebuilt by hand for every piece. As a result, each piece is unique.