Collin van der Sluijs
Modern-day Dutch master Collin van der Sluijs’ searchingly personal, slyly political paintings and illustrations emerge from the deepest reaches of the subconscious, resisting both interpretation and categorization.
Collin began writing graffiti at the age of 11, going on to earn his Master’s degree in fine art from the St. Joost School of Art & Design. His dream-state depictions of daily life are now fixtures in galleries and public spaces across Western Europe and the U.S., highlighted by traffic-stopping murals at home in Maastricht, Netherlands in addition to Germany, Belgium, France and Chicago’s South Loop.
Collin made his Vertical Gallery solo debut with 2016’s ‘Luctor et Emergo,’ setting in motion a partnership that intensified with 2018’s ‘No Concessions.’ Collin’s third Vertical solo spotlight, ‘A Garden of Trust,’ followed in 2020: its saturated color palette and dense brush strokes drew on inspirations ranging from spiritual ancestors like van Gogh and Vermeer to the exotic birds who populated his grandfather’s aviary. “All the elements in my work stand for something,” Collin says. “It’s a personal story translated into the kind of paintings my country is known for.”
Collin’s relationship with Vertical continues to strengthen with each passing year. He returned to Chicago for solo showcases in 2022 (‘Collision’) and 2024 (‘Observer’) in addition to group shows including 2025’s globe-trotting collaborative exhibit ‘ALLIANCE,’ which paired him with Chicago painter and kindred spirit Laura Catherwood. Collin was also one of 13 artists exhibiting with Vertical at the 2025 installment of the Aqua Art Miami contemporary and modern art fair.
