Timothy van Diesen
I am an artist driven by a fascination with geometry, simplicity, and color. My work is a search for the essence of attraction. Why do certain shapes, colors, or compositions draw us in. Reading and reflection play a big role in this exploration.
Rotterdam
I was born and raised in Rotterdam, a working-class city with a straightforward, no-nonsense spirit. As a child, I was constantly redesigning my room, already drawn to design and architecture before I knew the word for it.
In my late teens and early twenties, graffiti took over. I poured more energy into painting and connecting with artists across Europe than into my studies in Industrial Design. Looking back, it wasn’t the most strategic choice, but it gave me the foundation I needed to become the artist I am today.
In 2019, I rented an atelier in Katendrecht, Rotterdam. With friends, I began to explore the contemporary art scene. Those early years were about transition: moving from spray paint to acrylics, experimenting, and searching for purpose.
The shift from graffiti to canvas became a turning point. It forced me to rethink color, to strip things back and to explore abstraction. My current work grows out of that search, paintings that are as abstract as possible, reaching for the essence of what makes an image hold our gaze.
ZigZags
During the pandemic, while living in Amsterdam, I sketched a zigzag shape that stayed with me. Eventually, I began painting some of my color studies on this shape cut out a dibond plate. It fascinated me, simple yet powerful. After selling my first ZigZags to a photographer, an art store in Stockholm, and a design agency in Paris, I realized I had found something meaningful.
I kept developing the ZigZag and in spring 2025, I released my first ZigZag series. The shape has since become my signature, my ‘baby.’ While I love exploring other themes, I would be a very happy men if the ZigZag became iconic and the central focus of my artistic journey.
Timothy van Diesen 