Riq

Somewhere around 2005, Rik started making graffiti in the Rotterdam area. This was his first experience of artistic expression in public space. Lanf before this happend, he was already drawing. As a child, drawing kept him away from reality and its pressures. Today it still does.

The child in him continues to exist because he remains curious about the constantly changing environment. He cherishes that.

His work can be used for various purposes. He mainly focuses on making murals and free work. Both commissioned and autonomous. The stylized drawings he makes are a allegory most of the time. They consist of abstracted, naive and often geometric images and symbols that support and reinforce the subject of the work.

His goal is to make the audience think twice. He does this by confronting them with his vision of social values, norms and current issues. Taboos are not avoided.

In 2019, Rik traveled with his fiancee and two cats trough Europe in their camper. During this trip, his goal was to create as many murals as possible. This led them to various abandoned places and cultural communities. Being able to paint in so many different locations allowed him to challenge himself to experiment and develop.

After seven months and eleven different countries, they stopped the adventure because the next adventure was waiting for them.

They were expecting a baby.

Since then a lot has changed. The responsibility of parenthood put him to work as a metro driver in Rotterdam. As a result, it took a while before he moved on being the creative again.

It is now three years later. The urge to create has always remained. Rik has therefore not been idle and takes every opportunity that he feels good about.

On to the next beautiful experience!