For the past twenty-five years, life-size sculptural ensembles made from Styrofoam and polyurethane foam have formed the heart of Folkert de Jong’s practice. Now fifty years old, De Jong chooses materials commonly associated with construction, architecture, and stage design, transforming them into intricate tableaux that explore grotesque worlds filled with power dynamics, violence, catastrophe, and the uneasy aspects of human existence.

Drawn to the darker layers of the human psyche, the artist invites viewers into a universe where the bizarre and the fragile coexist. His sculptures frequently reference art history and merge these influences with current social and political themes. The characteristic colors of his materials—soft blue and pink Styrofoam alongside pale yellow polyurethane foam—give the works their unmistakable visual identity.

Because the figures are often life-sized, and frequently based on the artist’s own body, the viewer encounters them on a human scale, making it possible to step into the unfolding scenes.

This catalog, published on the occasion of the exhibition Ministry of Fear/Foam, traces De Jong’s 25-year oeuvre through his working process and the historical and conceptual context of the sculptures, enriched with material from his private archive. As an artist’s book, it offers a revealing look into the workings of his creative mind.