Matthias van Arkel's expression is unique and unmistakable. For 20 years, he has combined painting and sculpture in his works executed in industrially vulcanized silicone rubber. van Arkel's creation has emerged from a conceptual approach. In his three-dimensional works, meaning is achieved through density, sensuality, and energy. There is a performative dimension involved in the creative process, where the artist balances intuition against control through the special technique he has developed. Sculptural forms move like enlarged brushstrokes and form abstract landscapes. van Arkel challenges our perception of what defines a painting and invites us to see it from a new perspective.

van Arkel was educated at Konstfack and the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm and is currently active in Stockholm and New York. His works can be found, among others, in the collections of the Moderna Museet in Stockholm and the SOKO Art Collection in Finland. van Arkel has completed a number of public commissions, including the monumental work Micro/Macro World at Jakobsberg bus terminal.