Los Angeles, CA - CMAY Gallery is delighted to present conceptual and multidisciplinary artist Daan den Houter in “Stripes, Dots, Stacks and Twists” his first solo exhibition in Los  Angeles. This showcase features a collection of paintings crafted from wood and inlaid with epoxy paint, meticulously created in den Houter’s Rotterdam studio. 

The paintings contain basic shapes that are repeated in a system until the work is finished. His choice to use Mahogany wood known for its rich color and natural drawings, creates a striking contrast with the bright, harsh plastic colors, thereby enhancing the visual appeal of the artwork. Ten of his newest works will be coming from Holland specifically for this exhibition.

The works in this exhibition draw inspiration from the Los Angeles “Finish Fetish” movement, echoing its parallels with the Dutch Minimalist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Den Houter’s unique interpretation of “Finish Fetish” is conceptual, reflecting his diverse interest in materials, as seen in his “Ice Paintings” exhibited at PRJCTLA in Los Angeles in 2022. 

Despite being based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Den Houter has maintained a significant presence in Los Angeles, with prior exhibitions at Roberts and Tilton, Arena 1, DENK Gallery, PRJCTLA, and 18th Street Art Center. Den Houter follows in the tradition of exchange between The Netherlands and Los Angeles that so many others artists have followed in the past.

The artistic dialogue between Los Angeles and The Netherlands has flourished for over 50 years, initiated by artists Bas Jan Ader and Ger van Elk. Their influence extended to key figures in Los Angeles such as Chris Burden, Paul McCarthy, Allen Sekula, and Bruce Nauman (influenced by Ader) and William Leavitt, Ed Ruscha, John Baldessari, and Allen Ruppersberg (influenced by van Elk). 

The “Finish Fetish” or “LA Look” movement, encompassing artists like Larry Bell, Billy Al Bengston, Craig Kauffman, John McCracken, and DeWain Valentine, parallels Dutch Minimalism, which includes artists like Jan Schoonhoven, Herman de Vries, Armando, Jan van Munster, Ewerdt Hilgemann, and Ad Dekkers. 

Den Houter has also exhibited extensively in Europe including the Boijmans van Beuningen (NL), Kunsthal (NL), GEM the Hague (NL), Art Festival Watou (BE), Galerie Frank Taal (NL), La Sorta (IT) and Atkinson Art- gallery (GB).

His work is also widely collected and can be found in the collection of Museum Ferropolis, British Museum, the Dutch Embassy Berlin, Jeremy Cooper mail art-collection, Benny Sings art-collection, MAL-Collection, UMC-Collection, collection Jaap Sleper, collection Marc Overman, collection Oscar Larik, HEDEN-collection and the collection of Carla and Hugo Brown.

“Stripes, Dots, Stacks and Twists” follows Den Houter’s continued exploration in art. As a multidisciplinary artist, he works freely in various media including performance, drawing, sculpture, video, and painting, as exemplified in this upcoming show. 

For more information please contact Carl Berg at carl@carlbergcuratorialprojects.com.