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Mikel van Gelderen lives and works in Amsterdam. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Den Bosch. He combined working as an artist with working as an partner in Zeinstra van Gelderen architects and scenographic installations for theatre maker Tjyying Liu. His architectural and scenographic work is closely linked to his visual art.

With LANDSCAPES, Mikel van Gelderen depicts imaginary nature fantasies that lure the viewer into introspection. The works are made of acrylic and charcoal on bamboo paper.

The images refer to landscapes as they wander in the memory. Figurative elements can evoke recognition, yet the entire image remains ambivalent because the abstract surfaces mainly testify to the materials. This creates the idea of an artificially constructed nature, which is in line with today's reality in which the idea of “nature” mainly testifies to the persistent illusion that there would still be something like an original nature existing outside humans. The traces of the making process of the sceneries refer to the fast-paced fleeting digital visual culture of today, with which they form a pregnant contrast. Both the subject “landscape” and the way they are constructed refer to the rich tradition in painting.