Niels Kalk is a Dutch artist known for his distinctive collage work, character illustrations and album cover designs. His work has been used for animations and featured in music videos.

Niels illustrates and creates characters for clients while also working as a fine artist using the technique of collage and making drawings by hand.

Growing up in the 80s in the north of the Netherlands, Niels busied himself indoors with drawing, reading comics, playing computer games on the Commodore 64, watching cartoons at Grandma’s (she had cable), and with the toys he built from Lego. When outside it was mostly building huts, BMX and skateboarding which kept him entertained. The comics, cartoons and imagery from skateboarding culture were a great source of inspiration. From his father’s bundled Mad Magazines to watching Looney Tunes, tiny Niels took it all in. Later in life, it was absurd television programmes that sparked his imagination, like Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Young Ones, Rembo & Rembo, Jiskefet and so on… So it was no surprise that after finishing high school, he applied to an art academy.

At the turn of the century, he graduated from Academie Minerva, majoring in illustration. After his studies, Niels mainly focused on illustration assignments for magazines. In Rotterdam, he joined agency Shop Around and did illustration work for numerous brands, children’s media and later designed characters for an animated series. After about a decade, Niels returned to a more traditional way of working. Using the collage technique, he created surrealistic, sometimes absurdist works. These handmade collages were shown and sold at art markets and various exhibitions and have garnered widespread popularity. Several of his creations have since appeared in magazines, on posters and used for book and album covers. Recently, his art was used in animated form for a music video and a video installation.

Selected Projects & Exhibitions

  • 2007 KIKA & BOB – Animated Series, character designer for Submarine, Amsterdam

  • 2010 POPJUGEND – Group Exhibition at Galerie Majke Hüsstege, Den Bosch

  • 2011 BLOOOM – Art Fair at the Kunstmesse, Cologne

  • 2013 STROKE – Art Fair – Solo artist at Alte Münze, Berlin
              FALLING UP – Solo Exhibition at Untertitel, Berlin

  • 2014 GOOD COMPANY – Solo Exhibition at Bohei, Berlin

  • 2015 SHUT UP I’M DREAMING – Solo Exhibition at Taiko Gallery, Berlin
              PORT OF ART 1 – Group Exhibition at Fata Morgana, Berlin
              PORT OF ART 2 – Group Exhibition at Pop-up Gallery, Berlin

  • 2016 PICTOPLASMA CONFERENCE – Artist Lecture, exhibition and workshop at Kino Babylon & Up Gallery, Berlin
              EDGING – Group Exhibition at Ludwig, Berlin
              PORT OF ART 3 – Group Exhibition at Fata Morgana, Berlin

  • 2017 ABSURD DITTIES – Solo and group exhibition at Premarts Project Space, Berlin
              VINYLIZE! – Group Exhibition organised by SHOP AROUND at Concerto, Amsterdam
              SLOW – Group Exhibition at Slowroom Contemporary, Copenhagen
              LA GRANDE PLAKASTROPHE – Group Exhibition at Giraffentoast

  • 2018 MADE IN BERLIN – Group Exhibition at Siam Discovery, Bangkok
              MIXED MEDIA – Group Exhibition at Galerie im Künstlerhaus, Leonberg

  • 2019 ALL OR NOTHING – Duo Exhibition with MEYDENBERG at Yelo House, Bangkok

  • 2022 COPYSHOP – Collage Event & Group Exhibition at KHBstudios, berlin
              3 TAGE FÜR DIE KATZ – Group Exhibition at KHBstudios, berlin
  • 2023 A BERLIN ODYSSEY INTO THE UNREAL – GlueHeads Group Exhibition at Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke
              A BERLIN ODYSSEY INTO THE UNREAL – GlueHeads Group Exhibition at Neurotitan, berlin
              REJECTS FROM VERBEKE FOUNDATION – Group Exhibition at HOK Gallery, The Hague

  • 2024 PICTOPLASMA – Group Exhibition at Verwalterhaus, Berlin

  • 2025 COLLAGER III – Group Exhibition at Galerie Noord, Groningen
              HERE TO STAY – GlueHeads Group Exhibition & Zine Release at Zwitschermaschine, Berlin
              SCHAUENWIRMA! – Solo Exhibition (ongoing) at Klappkatze, Berlin

Selected Clients

Future Classic, PETA, Indian Askin, T-Mobile, Submarine, Dead Kittens, Converse, BRUUT!, TivoliVredenburg, Pictoplasma, PLUS, MaiNetCare, DFFRNT Media, D!E GÄNG, Paul Eisen, Ben & Jerry’s, Annie Made it, City of Rotterdam, Hotel Berlin, Berlin.