After graduating as illustrator from the St. Joost art academy (Breda, Netherlands) in 2008, Maarten has created handmade illustrations, logos, designs and creative direction for many different musicians, bands, record labels, artists, breweries, magazines and music venues, in an attempt to combine his art with a passion for (underground) music, concert and subculture. Maarten is based in Paris at the moment.
Most of his work has materialised in the form of album covers, posters, merchandise, and recently he started tattooing as well. Maarten occasionally exhibits his work, and since 2009 he has regularly contributed art to, and works closely with the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, and is the illustrator for French brewery Hoppy Road since 2017, for whom he has created many beer label designs.
Maarten’s primary focus as an illustrator is on personality and authenticity. He uses his sketchbook and personal interests as a launching point, where every idea is equally important, and anything can ignite a spark. His goal: to create powerful, expressive images that are recognizable, unique, and breathe personality. His work is known for its surreal, experimental, almost dreamlike qualities and they touch on themes such as solitude, introspection, the subconscious, the (super)natural, archetypes and finding beauty in the ‘mundane’.
Selected Clients
– Musicians/groups
Acid King, Anderson East, Automatic Sam, Billy Strings, Birds That Change Colour, Blood Ceremony, Blood Incantation, Blues Pills, Brant Bjork, Brutus, Charlotte Wessels, Chelsea Wolfe, Crown Lands, Danko Jones, Dead Meadow, Grails, Graveyard, Greensky Bluegrass, Goya, Hooghwater, Insect Ark, Joshua Powell, The Kik, Kikagaku Moyo, Lowrider, Maidavale, Moe., Monomyth, The Machine, Natskygge, Handsome Jack, Monolord, The Obsessed, Opeth, The Pilgrim, Mr. Peter Hayden, The Riven, Siena Root, Shaking Godspeed, The SIGIT, Sturgill Simpson, SUNN O))), Supersonic Blues, Tricklebolt, Volcano, Warlung, We Hunt Buffalo, Wight, Year Of The Goat, Yama, ZAPPA
– Companies, brands & festivals
013 popcentre, A La Bière Comme à La Bière, Blues Funeral, Burton Snowboards, BUT Festival, Death Co, EKKO, Excelsior Recordings, Dali Speakers, Effenaar, Fifth World Ascension, Heavy Psych Records, Hoppy Road, Intersections Films, IS Magazine, Le Bricheton, Suburban Records, Roadburn Records, Rock The Nation, MONDO, Roadburn Festival, RTN Touring, Sonic Whip Festival, The Odds Clothing, Totem Cat Records, Tivoli, Siren Craft Brew, Universal Music Group, Ván Records, VPRO gids, Woodlum Festival, Woolstock Festival
Exhibits
2008 Graduation exhibit – at St. Joost academy of arts, Breda NL (group)
2009 ‘Zwarte Gaten’ – at CBK, Den Bosch NL (group)
2009 ‘Hof Der Fanaten’ – at TAC, Eindhoven NL (group)
2009 ‘Overname’ – at Stadsgallerij, Breda NL (group)
2010 ‘Misprints’ – het Aardappel Imperium, Breda NL (group)
2010 ‘Aan de Bak’ – C – Centrum voor Beeldcultuur, Breda NL (group)
2010 ‘Misprints 2’ – Opperclaes, Breda NL (group)
2011 ‘FWA summer launch’ – Bar Nadar, Antwerp BE (group)
2012 ‘Illustratie Biennale’ digitale expositie – Toneelschuur, Haarlem NL (group)
2012 ‘Art Trek 9’ – Mekanik, Antwerp BE (group)
2014 ‘Heavy Days In Doomtown’ festival – Copenhagen DE (group)
2015 Sounds Tilburg, NL – mini exhibit (solo)
2016 A la bière comme à la bière – Paris, FR (solo)
2018 April ‘Full bleed’ exhibit at the Roadburn Festival (group)
2019 April ‘Full bleed’ exhibit at the Roadburn Festival (group) + Solo exhibit
2019 June ‘Art as Games/Games ars Art’ at French Paper Gallery – Paris FR (group)
Publications
2010 – Melancholia
2015 – Teros Magazine
2015 – Unfathom book, feature and interview
2015 – DPI Magazine Taiwan #199, feature with interview
2017 – Inked Magazine, full page feature
2017 – Image+ Mag, 2 page feature
2017 – Image Comics, ‘The Doomster’s Monolithic Pocket Alphabet’
2019 – Heavy Music Artwork ‘Masterpieces 2018’
2021 – Interview and artprint in VISIONS magazine’
Awards
Nomination MIA’s (Music Industry Awards) 2014, Category: Artwork