Daan Roukens is a Dutch visual artist, known for his diverse and colourful abstract self-portraits. He portrays what is going on in his head in an abstract way and therewith reflects on daily life. Roukens continuously experiences a restless feeling as a result of the tension between order and chaos. When he experiences too much chaos, he lets his obsessive perfectionism run free and if that structure becomes too dominant, he will add chaos again.

It’s the alternating choice for both, but he never opts for one and experiences the moment of in-between as sublime. Roukens searches for that in-between experience and feels the strong need to take the viewer into this process. By means of patterns, colour and abstraction, he paints the doubt and aims to make that conflict visible and perceptible. The artwork is a translation of his controlled chaos that reflect everyday dilemmas. A mirror, in which the viewer can determine how he sees himself.

Daan Roukens successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Art at AKV St. Joost Den Bosch and obtained his Master of Fine Art degree at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam. In addition to painting, he also uses video, ceramics and textiles. His work varies from autonomous projects to commissions and is acknowledged by a broad audience.

22 Dec   When You Say Yes, I Say No

It is with great pleasure that I present two new paintings on paper. When You Say Yes, I Say No is a reaction to my previous series Say Yes When You Want To Say No from 2016.

02 Nov   New Work

In this new series of paintings I continue my research into the in-between experience and how I can communicate this with the viewer. With Stumbling, I search for the experience of that moment, where one is almost falling, but manage to stay upright.

09 Jul   Why? Abstract Self-Portraits

After releasing my video artwork: The Abstract Self-Portrait in 2018, I began using the term ‘abstract self-portrait’ to depict my paintings. From a simple title to a more comprehensive meaning that captures the process and meaning of my art.

29 Mar   Stumbling

I’m currently working on a new series of paintings. Follow the complete process of making via social media.

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