Artist of the day: Artist of the Day, March 3, 2023: Tymon de Laa, a Dutch emerging visual artist and muralist (#1793)

Tymon de Laat (1979) is an emerging visual artist and muralist working and living in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The port city bristles with life and creativity, informing his unique urban contemporary art, as he literally leaves his mark upon the city itself. However, it is not just his hometown that is an essential part of his work, as de Laat’s work is greatly influenced by his deep love and appreciation for Latin-American, and particularly Mexican culture.

After graduating from the Willem de Kooning Academy de Laat decided to travel to Latin America. It turned out to be a year-long journey living on a relatively sparse travel budget, this made him realize he didn’t actually need much funds to feel fulfilled. Rather, he found joy in his interaction with locals.

When he eventually came back to Rotterdam, he could do little else but pay tribute to Latin America, the part of the world that gave him so many insights about how he saw himself, the world at large, and the art wanted to create. De Laat started painting murals and canvases, often based on his own photographs of the people he met during his travels. He exaggerates the natural lines in their faces, and fills the spaces that appear between those swirling lines with swaths of vivid color. The linework and color palette he applies in that way, are a means of translating his memories of Latin America to visual imagery. The food, the architecture, the clothes, and particularly his respect for the culture of indigenous peoples; it’s all in there, as de Laat transitions it over to enliven drab Western concrete.

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