Merijn Kavelaars (1985, The Netherlands) began his journey as an artist from a very young age. As a child, he doodled, drew and created images which became a naive pictorial language of communication. Growing up his father performed as a clown, Kavelaars transformed his doodles and drawings into illustrative posters for his fathers’ shows. Kavelaars work has become a refined visual language. He describes his intention as “creating a world I can get lost in.” He wants “to be able to look at it endlessly, discover new meaning, fantasise and reflect on it.” Kavelaars aims to create works where the meaning is endless and with each viewing a new meaning is discovered, the art speaks for itself. He creates works that merge site-specific installation, painting and sculpture.

Kavelaars has developed a distinctive style which is defined by experimentation with line, bursts of vibrant colours and organic shapes. The aesthetic is formed by Kavelaars unique ability to subconsciously apply an intuitive self-taught practice to arrange shapes and colour, which combined, creates a visual sense of movement and diversity. Kavelaars uses colours that illuminate off the canvas and lines that encourage the audience to interact with the energetic and playful subject matter.

Now an advanced and developed practice, Kavelaars translates a unique and sometimes coincidental interaction between the elements that defines his style. The interaction between the elements is a harmonious collaboration. The works are connected by his ability to arrange and layer the elements which he uses to create depth and perspective in the work.

He has cultivated a physical practice of art making which is executed in site-specific projects. In his career defining solo exhibition of 2016 titled No Good Can Come From This, Kavelaars transformed a space in Amsterdam  and left no part of the building’s floor, ceiling or walls uncovered. His works engulfed all surfaces of available space. In interacting with Kavelaars work, the audience is encouraged to move freely through the site and Kavelaars is forever present no matter which way they turn.

Kavelaars now based between Shanghai and Amsterdam has spent the time living and working in Shanghai and Iran (Residency at Pejman Foundation). He won the Stolichnaya art contest and his work is in private collections all over the world.

CV

2023

• Night Art Fair,‘Syndrome series’ (Solo) , Wangsim, Taipei, Taiwan
• ‘Atari’ (Group), Jiuba art space by No mans art gallery, Amsterdam
• Tache Tache Tache (Solo), Coachhouse61, Amsterdam
• Box Solo (Group), Yours Truly Art Collective, Dutch Design Week, Eindhoven

2022

• NMAG CDMX (Group), No Mans Art Gallery Pop-Up, Mexico City
• ‘Sounds of the city’, Casa UC, Mexico City
• ‘MCFresno installation’, Obra Gris Space, Mexico City
• ‘Artist in Residence, Fresno 301, Mexico City

2021

• 'Soms' (Solo), Atelier Kavelaars, Waalre, The Netherlands
• NMAG 10 years (Group), No Mans Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  

2020

• 'My Dogma' (Solo), Art Chapel, Amsterdam
• 'Path to an enchanting seclusion' (Group), Xinqiao art museum, Shanghai, China
• Panda Project (group), Shanghai Fashion Fair, Shanghai, China
• 'Wangsim showroom taken over by Merijn Kavelaars' (Solo), K11, Shanghai, China

2019

• Museumnacht station Weesperplein collaboration with CS Media
• ‘KAV54’ (Solo), Wangsim & V54 Artsit in Residence, Hong Kong
• Save the Children auction, Hong Kong
• Livepaint performance, IFX Fair, Las Vegas, USA
• ‘Where the sun goes down’ (Group), No Mans Art Gallery, Amsterdam

2018

• ‘Bursting Bold’ (Solo), Lucie Chang Fine Arts, Hong Kong
• Lucie Chang Fine Arts at AAF (fair), Hong Kong
• ‘Growth’ (Group), Art Labor gallery, Shanghai, China
• ‘Rikshaw Run’, India

2017

• ‘Wanderings of the mind’ (Group), Ron Lang Art, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• ‘Edge Water’ (Group), LLND Studio, Shanghai, China
• This Art Fair (group), No Mans Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• ‘Shanghai Dream’ (Group), Art Labor Gallery, Shanghai, China
• Live paint performance, Dutch Consulate, Shanghai, China
• Gallery/Studio Kavelaars, Amsterdam Central Station, The Netherlands

2016

• ‘Three Knee Deep’, No Mans Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• ‘Leslie Cheung’ (Group), The heART Center, Paris, France
• ArtRai (Fair), No Mans Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• ‘Untitled’ (Solo), Vista+ Gallery, Tehran, Iran
• No Mans Art Gallery (Group), Tehran, Iran
• ‘The drawing hand’ (Group), Magda Danysz Gallery, Shanghai, China
• ‘No Good Can Come From This’ (Solo), No Mans Art Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

2015

• Live paint performance for Dutch consulate, Shanghai, China
• Kong Siwenli, Fireflies Gathering (Group), Curateds by Jeremy Chaval, Shanghai, China
• ‘No Gloves’ (Solo), Curated by Emmelie Koster, Shanghai, China

2014

• No Mans Art Gallery (Group), Cape town, South Africa
• Wanderlust (Group), Shanghai, China
• Begin from chaos (Group), Inna Contemporary Art Space, Hangzhou, China

2013

• Rauwer (Group), Hutspot Gallery, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Nuit Blanche (Live paint performance), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Auction for Soong Ching Ling Foundation Charity Event, Shanghai, China
• Grote 8 meets van Gogh (Group), Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands
• Kyra & Merijn (Group), NMAG & Secret 7 Gallery, Shanghai, China
• No Mans Art Gallery (Group), Shanghai, China

2012

• Artistic Affairs, Walls Gallery (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• No Mans Art Gallery (Group), Paris, France
• Sous 623, Amsterdam (Solo), Netherlands
• Bead the poetry (Live paint performance), Dordrechts Museum, Netherlands
• Blue Jeans(Group), Central Museum Utrecht, Netherlands
• When BlueBlood meets artists (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Kunst-10-Daagse (Group), Stomperoren, Netherlands
• Live Paint, Dordrechts Museum, Netherlands
• Hot stuff, Walls Gallery (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• No Mans Art Gallery (Group), Kopenhagen, Denmark
• Walls Gallery at AAF (Fair), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• No Mans Art Gallery (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Hutspot Gallery (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands

2011

• Vrije vogels (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Opening Gallery Kavelaars (Solo), Magna Plaza, Netherlands
• PUP Amsterdam (Live paint performance), Netherlands
• On my way (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Virtine de ville (Group), Amsterdam, Netherlands

2010

• Vitrine Vijzelstraat (Solo), Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Museumnacht, Amsterdam Museum (Live paint performance), Netherlands

COLLECTIONS

• MOMA Linked Hybrid, Art complex, Peking, China
• Cartier International SNC, business collection, Parijs, Frankrijk
• Pejman Foundation, art institution, Tehran, Iran
• China Soong welfare foundation, welzijnsstichting, Shanghai
• Alibaba Group, business collection, Hangzhou, China
  

PRESS

• BNR Newsradio
• Canal Once - Itinerario - Programa 39 (Mexico TV)
• Channel Young TV China
• City Weekend China 
• Close to Culture Hong Kong Tv
• De Pers
• Elle
• Elle Man China
• Harpers Bazaar
• Het Parool
• Hoop Doop Magazine
• I Amsterdam
• Linda
• L’Officiel
• Lost and Found Magazine
• Mudmag
• Modern O2
• Modern Weekly China
• Numero
• NRC Next
• Pupmag
• Park magazine
• Styletv.com
• Talkies Magazine
• The International Correspondent
• Veronica Magazine
• VPRO Mondo
• Vogue