For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the unanswered questions surrounding existence. Where do we come from? What are we doing here? Where are we going? How do I keep myself standing in this society? Why do things happen the way they do? What is love? And so on. My work emerges from my search for answers to those kinds of questions.

That search takes shape through paintings, drawings and installations in which beauty and discomfort come together. By playing with opposites such as cute and disturbing, light and heavy, tragic and comic, a certain tension emerges within my work that, to me, feels deeply connected to life itself.

As a self-taught artist, I gradually developed my own technique through experimentation, careful observation and simply working hard. I sample existing imagery and place it in different contexts, allowing a personal symbolic visual language to emerge. In doing so, I combine materials such as professional acrylic paint, heavily diluted paint, spray paint, charcoal and other dry media. Within the final result, influences from street culture collide with more classical forms of painting and symbolism. That tension is exactly where I feel at home.

Through my work, I try to gain a better understanding of the subjects that move, confuse or sometimes deeply frustrate me. I do not do this solely for myself. I actively invite the viewer, you, to become part of that search for answers. By bringing the work into contact with people, space is created for dialogue, recognition, wonder, connection and perhaps even answers that can help us move forward. Sometimes light-hearted, sometimes confrontational, sometimes humorous, sometimes almost therapeutic. For me, the true meaning of my work exists within that encounter between myself, the artwork and the viewer.

Thom van der Gulik (1993) is a visual artist, born in Amsterdam and currently living and working in Hoorn, the Netherlands.

From an early age, he often felt like an outsider. During his youth, he struggled within the school system and spent much of his time on the streets. At the age of sixteen, he narrowly survived a suicide attempt. What once seemed like a breaking point later became a major turning point in his life.

In the years that followed, Van der Gulik decided to fully dedicate his energy to making art. Rather than attending art school, he developed himself independently through years of experimentation, observation, hard work and seeking out mentors. Under the pseudonym “STHOM”, he gradually built his own visual language and working method. Today, his practice moves between influences from street culture and more classical forms of painting.

Alongside his work as an autonomous visual artist, Van der Gulik works as an art teacher and experiential expert at ‘SPOT Hoorn’ in collaboration with GGZ Noord-Holland. Where he teaches young people who have lost their way. He also forms the live-painting duo ‘LivePaintCrew SMEER!’ together with Onno Roos.