In 2000, I graduated from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in graphic design and typography designer. Between 2000 and 2008, I ran my own practice in illustration, graphic design, and visual art. Alongside commissioned work, I created independent paintings. My autonomous work developed from figurative subjects – portraits of people from The Hague as well as various cityscapes – toward increasingly abstract imagery based on architectural forms and spaces.
During that period, I held several exhibitions at, among others, Pulchri Studio, the Vrije Academie, the headquarters of Shell, and ‘Huize Helena,’ all in The Hague.
Due to personal circumstances, from 2010 onward I focused primarily on developing my long-standing passion: drawing. Between 2010 and 2018, through sketches, drawings, and multimedia work, I developed my visual language into a highly personal one, working from an independent position in relation to the art world.
Since 2020, I have had a home studio in Rotterdam where I create multimedia works on canvas, wood, and various objects. My work is characterized by a strong personal style in which drawing has a central role. I use color, strange objects, and powerful forms that together create a chaotic world of bruised beauty. The works are populated by peculiar figures who struggle to relate to the world they inhabit. You could say that these characters are all alter egos of myself, expressing what I dare not say myself.
In 2023 and 2024 I had exhibitions with ‘Unity in Diversity’ as part of Art Rotterdam art route in Rotterdam West.
Since 2023, after many years, I have reconnected with my old friend John ter Horst, who had a studio next to mine at the Helena association. Since 2024, we have formed the collective “Het Centrum van de Kunst” (The Center of Art). In 2024 and 2025 we’ve had exhibitions in gallery Lissabon at the Denneweg in Den Haag.
At the exhibitions in Lissabon, alongside our individual works, we also presented a collaborative project titled “Question and Answer.” This is a collection of ten works in book form, in which we take turns creating a piece in response to the other’s previous work.