Daan Den Houter

The paintings contain basic shapes that are repeated in a system until the work is finished. His
choice to use Mahogany wood known for its rich color and natural drawings, creates a striking
contrast with the bright, harsh plastic colors, thereby enhancing the visual appeal of the
artwork.

‘This series of “paintings that are not really paintings” (the artist’s words) are an interesting development for den Houter. They are, in a sense, deconstructions of abstract paintings because they breakdown the usual technique of making a painting on a canvas with brushes and acrylic or oil paint, a method that relies on hand movements, and is based in drawing. The mark of the hand is evident in most paintings and is so intrinsic to the art of painting that it defines most artwork made that way, even prior to Modernism. Modern Art, which really begins with Post-Impressionism, elevated the brush stroke to the highest status, so that by the early 20th century artists like Matisse were creating canvases that exulted exuberant brush strokes and the mark of the hand, and by mid-20th century, the American Abstract Expressionists would make the brushstroke their signature motif.

By contrast, den Houter’s method of creating dots, lines and shapes ha...

1999-2003 KABK (Royal Academy of Art, The Hague)
1997-1999 A.I (Artificial Intelligence) Utrecht

2024
Stripes, Dots, Stacks & Twists (Solo)
CMAY gallery, Los Angeles (USA)

Snakken naar Boijmans (group)
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam (NL)

The Garden of Time (group)
La Storta, Venice (IT)

Art Rotterdam (duo)
Van Nelle fabriek Rotterdam

2023
DIT DUS (solo)
Galerie Frank Taal Rotterdam

2022 010+010=020 (group)
tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam (NL)

NL-XX-LA (group)
PJCTLA, Los Angeles (USA)