Splashy Tiger, 2024
I’m deeply connected to the craft of painting; the techniques, the materials, and the process of making my own paints. Each layer I apply is a study, and an exploration at the same time. Even after all these years, I still follow painting courses to refine my skills, because painting for me is a lifelong study. I use raw materials and fillers to have complete control over the texture, giving my paintings a quality that sometimes resembles ancient cave paintings.
Ralf Kokke
Ralf Kokke (b. 1989, Dordrecht, The Netherlands) draws on the traditions of Western art—classical composition, craft, and narrative—while refracting them through a distinctly contemporary lens. His paintings populate imagined worlds with hybrid, anthropomorphic figures and familiar archetypes, oscillating between playfulness and a subtle undercurrent of melancholy. Engaging with the enduring motifs of Western art history, Kokke reinterprets and recombines these references to examine how inherited visual languages persist and transform within today’s cultural landscape.
Kokke studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (2011–2014) and is deeply invested in the material dimension of his practice. He produces his own pigments, incorporates raw materials and fillers, and continually studies historic painting techniques. This attention to process imbues his works with a tactile, almost sculptural quality, evoking the physical immediacy of ancient wall paintings while anchoring them firmly in the present.
He has been the recipient of numerous awards, grants, and residencies, including support from the Mondriaan Fund (Young Talent Grant), project funding from the Dordrechts Museum and Gemeente Dordrecht, as well as the Pictura Prize and the Kunstschouw Award. His works are held in public and private collections such as the Dordrecht Museum, the Van Gogh Huis (Zundert), and the Vietnam Art Collection.
Kokke has exhibited widely in Europe and internationally. Recent solo exhibitions include Blue Blossom Lions (Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin, 2025), Forest Friends (Hans Alf Gallery, Copenhagen, 2024), and Hooked by Neverland(Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, 2023). His work has also been presented in group exhibitions such as Wild Roars in Calm Corners (Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles), Angel Tales (Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach), and Level Unlocked (Andrea Festa Fine Art, Rome).