Biography
Arie Otten is a Dutch contemporary artist born in 1954, who currently resides and works in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. His work delves into the nature of the sublime and humanity’s attempt to define it. Focusing on a subject matter that is essentially and existentially out of reach, he pivots on the lyrical and abstract aspects of it. Arie’s depth and intensity of emotion poured onto canvas as a primary material and further into three dimensions through installations and sculpture, doesn’t betray his self-taught practice. Having engaged as a first responder in the ambulance service for over two decades before his 15-year career as a full-time artist, is what he confesses through his obsessive creation of art. Working rapidly, at times creating 2-3 works per day, he incorporates subversive actions in a free flow of undefined boundaries, using bold strokes that highlight the finite window of ‘being aware in the present’.
Arie’s creative process is unrestricted though multiple mediums, working with paint on canvas and wooden panels through productively using scrap materials from construction sites. Unintentional endings, or the certainty of death is captured out of seemingly uncertain situations of living, leading to more certain consequences. Whether through figurative facial descriptions or naïf and abstract renderings of ‘the unbearable lightness of being’, Arie Otten manages to connect the viewer with an unsullied expression of the human experience of living.
He is greatly inspired by artists such as Anselm Kiefer, Mark Rothko, Karel Appel, Jan Cremer, Theo Wolvekamp and others. Arie’s works have found their place in numerous public and private collections across the globe including in the Netherlands, France, Italy, the USA and more. His works are permanently exhibited at Veldkamp Thuis, Tandprothetische Praktijk Van de Heg, Van Woudenberg BV and Art Café Sam Sam.
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Permanent Exhibitions
Veldkamp Thuis, Stationstraat 110, Apeldoorn
Selected Exhibitions
2025 Parasitó, curated by Dorron Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Mumbai, Mumbai, India
2025 La Rupture du Désir, curated by Dorron Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Yellow Cube Gallery, Paris, France
2025 Faces, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Online Exclusive - Artsy
2025 The Power of Blue, curated by Caterina Corni, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India
2023 ArteBo Gallery, Bologna , Italy, Group Exhibition. (ArtOnWorld)
2022 Arte Borgo Gallery, Rome, Italy, Group Exhibition
2022 Arte Borgo Gallery, Salerno, Italy, Group Exhibition
2022 Arte Borgo Gallery, Rome, Italy, Group Exhibition
2022 Gallery PS (Kirsten Keagli Art Consulting), Zurich, Switzerland (Swiss)
2021 Gallery Mia Joosten , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2021 Luxembourg Art Fair, Luxembourg
2020/2019 CODA Museum, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, Group Exhibition
2020/2019 Zo Mooij Gallery, Amsterdam,The Netherlands, Solo Exhibition
2019 Art Studio 28, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, Solo Exhibition
2018 CODA Museum, Apeldoorn,The Netherlands, Group Exhibition
2018 Loolaan Gallery, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
2018 Veldkamp Thuis, Apeldoorn , The Netherlands
2017 Loolaan Gallery, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Solo Exhibition
2016 Galerie PS 20 , Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
2016 Gallery Frans Houben, Ootmarsum, Solo Exhibition
2015-2022, Tandprothetische Praktijk Van de Heg/ Van Woudenberg BV, Zwolsebinnenweg 5 Apeldoorn
2016, Galerie PS 20, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
2016, Galerie Frans Houben, Ootmarsum, the Netherlands
2015, Sandmann Opticiens, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands
2014, Gallery Pictura, Gorningen, the Netherlands
Art Fairs
2024 NOISE Media Art Fair, represented by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Vienna, Austria
Selected Collections
2024, Pablo, in a private collection, Paris, France
2024, Geometric Composition in Yellow and Pink Nr.4/4, in a private collection, New York, USA
2024, Woman with Yellow Bag, in a private collection, New York, USA
2022, Man with Dog, in a private collection, Zurich, CH
2020, Compositions in Red Nr.1, 2, 3, 4, in a private collection, Apeldoorn
2018, African Woman, in a private collection, Vaassen
2018, Two people with animal, in a private collection, Hoogeveen
2018, No Title, in a private collection, Vaassen
2018, Colourful Face, in a private collection, Apeldoorn
2018, Cutting Red Nr. 2, in a private collection, Loosdrecht
Awards
2024 Patterns of Memory (honourable mention), Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India
Selected Press
Siddhant Khattri, "Parasitó: What are we consuming - And what's consuming us?" in e-book by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery at [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/X92QJMAZYWT6G] consulted in September, 2025.
Ksenia Drobyshevskaya, "La Rupture du Désir" in Art On World Magazine (2025)
Siddhant Khattri, "Studio Visit x Arie Otten" in Artsy Viewing Room consulted in December, 2024.
Joas Nebe, "Parasitó, an exhibition by Vedica Art Studios and Gallery" in Titan Contemporary at [https://www.titancontemporary.net/single-post/parasito-an-exhibition-by-vedica-art-studios-and-gallery] consulted on 20 September, 2025.
Rajul Shah, "In my own words" in e-book Parasitó at [https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/X92QJMAZYWT6G] consulted in September, 2025.