BAN was born in Rotterdam in 1962. He has been active as an artist since 1966.
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After attending various schools (primary school, retail, MTS furniture), he went to the Rotterdam Art Academy, where he studied under Rien Bout. He then co-founded the Kaos Art Collective.
BAN had a varied start to his career, including military service in the navy, work at an office and art supplies store, and a shift from mechanical ventilation to an Irish garden centre.
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Group exhibition: Tuincentrum Blijdorp (2024) , Museum Overschie (2019), Offaly Town Hall (2013), Thurles Arts Centre (2010)
Solo exhibition: Groenhart Wijn & Spijs (2024), Museum Overschie (2025)
Commissions as designer: The Reuzen Café, De Harmonie during Leeuwarden-Friesland European Cultural Capital 2018 and The Escape Room, Rotterdam. Light Designer for Daniel Figgis installation during Kilkenny Arts Festival 2004. Set Designer for Christmas shows at Thurles Arts Centre, Ireland.
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BAN is a member of Rotterdam artists' collective Karmijn en Werklicht and his work can be seen at Fenix Museum at the end of August.
Personal statement
In my later work, using glue and paper as a form of paint has many advantages. Dictionaries create a beautiful skin texture - they have varying thicknesses of type on a page, and this reminds me of human skin. Old books, yellowed books, wrapping paper, gift wrapping paper, coloured paper, envelopes, blueprint paper, newspapers... It's fascinating how they co-exist and form something new.
I'm also dyslexic and love tearing up books.
There are many people I could thank for my development as a person and an artist, but most especially: Rien Bout, Jan de Haas, Egbert Davids, Willem Nijland, Bart Clement, my wife Claudia Woolgar, and my son Callum - and of course, Mr. van Rijn and Oskar Kokoschka.
