- Art & Design
Art et Vie, the artistic universe of Belgian sculptor Evi Van den Plas, showcases how small plaster bodies are caught mid-motion as they climb, fall, and rise again. These minimalist characters navigate uneven, sculptural terrains that resemble the emotional and psychological landscape we all carry with us, filled with dips, bumps, and unexpected heights. Each piece captures the essence of overcoming, not through dramatic gestures, but through quiet persistence.
Evi was born in Herentals in 1989 and has long moved between the worlds of creativity and care. With a degree in orthopaedic prosthetics and a deep interest in the visual arts, her background bridges the functional and the expressive. Early in her career, she specialised in the creation of hyperrealistic silicone prostheses, shaping life-like fingers, hands and feet for people in need. It is a discipline rooted in meticulous skill and human connection. Over time, the desire to explore more intuitive, personal forms of expression led her to sculptural plaster work. 
Plaster, with its immediacy and raw tactility, suits the energy and pace of Evi’s ideas. Unlike painting — where she often found herself slowed by hyperrealist precision — sculpting allows her to move quickly and instinctively. The result is a growing collection of works in which simplified human forms interact with sculptural waves, curves, and obstacles. Some figures support each other, others stand alone in mid-effort, yet all suggest a shared human condition. The surface becomes a metaphor: for setbacks, growth, reflection, or achievement.
Evi’s sculpturen herinneren ons eraan dat kracht vaak niet ligt in perfectie, maar in de bereidheid om verder te gaan
The name Art et Vie echoes the two forces that drive her work. Her themes are never abstracted from personal experience. They are informed by daily moments of doubt and celebration, the inner dialogue of becoming, and all milestones that mark our way, no matter how small or big.
Each work can be seen as a scene from an internal journey: the moment before a breakthrough, the stumble before the climb, the quiet victory of standing tall again. Evi’s sculptures invite reflection but resist pretension. They are playful, humble, and unafraid to show vulnerability, reminding us that strength is often found not in perfection, but in the willingness to keep going. Through Art et Vie, Evi Van den Plas gives form to resilience, and in doing so, invites us to see our own stories in the shapes she builds.
Curious to discover more? Don’t miss our book ‘Craftswomen’! 
Text by Carolien Depamelaere
Photography by Valerie Joseph, Click by Leonie, Lucy Scheppermans, Bert Machielsen & Click with Love