Pascal VAN DER GRAAF

Pascal van der Graaf was born in the Netherlands in 1979. After marrying to his Taiwanese wife in 2016, he lived in Macau briefly and then settled in Xinying, Tainan. He holds a double degree in art and law from the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, the Netherlands. He has won the BKVB prize from the Dutch National Art Foundation in 2003, 2004 and 2008. In 2007, he won the Royal Dutch Art Award in the painting category (the highest award in Dutch art). In 2010, he won a prize from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo and participated in the Cairo Biennale. He has held dozens of solo and group exhibitions in the Netherlands, Egypt, Germany, Macau, Taiwan and other places.

Pascal’s early paintings tended to be figurative. Flowers, boats and seas were among his themes. After coming to Asia, his painting style incorporated elements and charms of oriental culture. From 2022, he started his attempt at abstract painting. He uses origami to sculpt shapes on canvas, uses “chameleon paint”, and collaborates with his higher self in the process of creation, which together have injected new elements into the art of painting. The color of the paint changes with the light and viewing angle, and the undulating shapes increase the color changes. Furthermore, we can feel a universal understanding and spiritual engagement. Such paintings create a new path in the history of art.

Pascal has unique skills in shaping, and is very sensitive to colors. The profuse and changing colors are harmonious, intriguing and full of power under his delicate arrangement. We can say that Pascal brought an international artistic vision and injected abundant creative energy into the Taiwanese painting field.