ROP VAN MIERLO
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Rop van Mierlo (1980) is a Dutch artist and designer who graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven. He gained international recognition with his picture book Wild Animals, which won the Dutch Design Award.
A key element of his work is his distinctive wet-on-wet painting technique, in which colors flow freely across the paper. This approach allows him to create animal portraits that resist control – a playful yet deliberate reflection on humanity’s urge to dominate nature.
His books are available at MoMA in New York, the Design Museum in London, and Do You Read Me!? in Berlin. Van Mierlo has collaborated with international brands such as Hermès, Marni, Moncler, H&M, Sandro Paris, Maison Kitsuné, A24, Stockmar, Head Porter, and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.
Since 2020, he has been developing a wide range of products under his Wild Animals label – from prints and textiles to home accessories.
He lives and works in Amsterdam.
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WILD ANIMALS
Wild Animals is a collection of animal portraits painted by Rop van Mierlo using a unique wet-on-wet technique. The animals – including a lion, tiger, elephant, monkey, and crocodile – appear soft, blurry, and full of life. Instead of depicting them in detail, Van Mierlo lets the colors flow freely, embracing a lack of control.
What began as a graduation project became a book that invites both children and adults to use their imagination.
For the artist, it’s less about the animals themselves and more about the intuitive and uncertain nature of the process – although the process itself is often carefully planned and controlled. He tries to achieve a certain result, but frequently ends up with something entirely different. That tension between control and unpredictability is at the core of his work.
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Details:

Artist: Rop van Mierlo - Amsterdam - Netherlands

Title: Wild Animals

Pool Board size: 615 x 405cm

Date: May 02 — August 15, 2025
Curator: Erkan Demiroglu
Photo: Thomas Schoger
Instagram: ropvanmierlo
​Web: www.ropvanmierlo.nl
Supported by: Kulturbüro Krefeld
