Artist Marcel van Luit

Marcel van Luit

Artist of the week June 2020

‘We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are‘

Marcel van Luit

The Dutch artist has an incredible imagination to take us to the world of his dreams. Is like falling sleep in this world and awakening in his. Into his modern surrealistic world, emerge creatures which are beautifully co-existent with fierce animals yet docile. His talent for blending reality with imaginary environments evoke a fantasy heaven where children live at ease. Thanks to his more than eligible editing skills, the images blend into darkness with an astonishing lightening effect.

Dreams into Art

‘I transform my dreams in to pieces of art. My biggest inspiration is my own imagination and my children. I love to mix illusion with reality to create completely new worlds. Worlds where I love my two boys to be in. Worlds where I want to escape to myself when life gets too busy. When you use your imagination, anything is possible. Sometimes on the way to your dream, you get lost and find a better one’.

Darkness and Light

‘I love to play with darkness and light. I believe they go hand in hand. Just like in real life, the good and the bad can go hand in hand and from darkness can come light. My work is about hope. They are life lessons to my sons.  All messages of love and trust. Always keep that little place, where the magic grows inside of you alive. Anything is possible, you just have to believe in it. We need fantasy not to escape, but survive in the reality’.

He exhibited his work at Jean Art Gallery in Antwerp and in December 2018 he was represented by GWS Gallery at Art Miami. In January 2019 his work was exhibited by Cobra Art Gallery at Maison & Object in Paris. In March 2019 he opened his solo exhibition in Sao Paulo at GWS Gallery and in April 2019 his solo exhibition was running in Amsterdam at Cobra Art Gallery. Marcel is represented by ADB Agency in New York, Paris and London and creates custom made Artwork for clients all over the world.

Meet Marcel van Luit

Marcel van Luit was born and raised in Groningen, a city in the northern part of the Netherlands. He studied to become a teacher, but worked as a social worker before he started his career in art. His journey to who he is today, started five years ago in a very unexpected way. Marcel was working as a social worker and just had his first son Otis. His life turned completely upside down when he got sick and was diagnosed with GBS (Guillain-Barre Syndrome), a very rare disease. He was completely paralysed for a long time and after the first months in the hospital he was transferred to a rehabilitation center. It took almost a year before he finally got home again. When his upper body was starting to work again and he had too much time on his hands in the rehabilitation center, he needed to find himself a hobby. He was still in a wheelchair at that moment. It would be a win-win if he could find something to get him through the days and that trained the muscles in his hands and fingers at the same time. So he started to take pictures with his camera. Whenever his baby son came to visit him, he took as many photos of Otis as he could. He missed him so badly. He started to edit his photos into dream worlds. As Marcel couldn’t go out and take his son anywhere at that time, he created the adventures he wanted them to be in. That’s how it all started.

He discovered a whole new passion and talent within himself as he edited different photos in to complete new worlds. He developed his signature look by playing with tones, darkness and light. As darkness and light can go hand in hand for him.

He quickly grew an online fan base when posting his work on Instagram and got noticed in the European Art scene, from where his offline career took off. His first exhibition was a solo exhibition at Corrado Bortone Gallery in Paris in May 2018, followed by another solo exhibition at Artcube Gallery in Paris in July 2018.

www.marcelvanluit.com
Photos copyright by: Marcel van Luit