Underwater Realm 2

This captivating artwork, crafted by van den hooven, immerses the viewer in a richly detailed underwater realm teeming with rich marine life. The composition is dominated by ethereal pink jellyfish drifting near the surface, their translucent, cobalt pink umbrellas glowing softly against the muted cobalt turquoise backdrop, with wavy tentacles trailing in the gentle undersea currents.

Below, a harmonious school of sleek barracuda fish glides effortlessly, their elongated bodies adorned with intricate green-and-blue stripes that shimmer with iridescent hues, their sharp fins cutting through the water with graceful precision.

The scene deepens with a vivid array of sea creatures towards the bottom third: a striking red octopus unfurls its sinuous tentacles; a cluster of vibrant yellow-green shrimp hovers mid-water; a sinuous blue garpike fish slinks among the shadow reeds, its piercing eyes adding a touch of mystery; and a bold crimson crustacean whose body remains just out of view crawls in the foreground.

Subtle aquatic plants, painted in earthy greens and browns, sway gently at the base, their slender fronds adding depth and a tactile quality to the composition.

The artist employs a masterful blend of watercolor and wax pencil , layering translucent washes with bold outlines to create a textured, almost three-dimensional effect that combines realism with expressionism, resulting in a mesmerizing tribute to the wonders of ocean biodiversity.

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van den hooven is an emerging Australian abstract cubist artist whose style is instantly recognisable for its quintessential features: bold lines, consistent colour palette and his symbolic logo-like depiction of facial features, bodily organs and other familiar objects.

His compositions are intentionally cluttered and contradictory, reflecting the chaos of modern life through a unique visual language that fuses the internal with the external, the animate with the inanimate, the natural with the technological.

Born into a lineage steeped in creativity, van den hooven’s artistic roots trace back to his grandfather Abraham Leendert van den Hooven, a Dutch sailor-turned-self-taught artist who settled in Australia in the late 1950s. His mother, Margarita Rosa, also pursued fine art, nurturing a household where creativity could flourish.

Coming from a science research background, van den hooven’s own journey into art was reignited after completing diplomas in graphic design (2016) and illustration (2018).

His work often explores themes of consumption, identity, internal conflict using familiar and quintessential objects—facial features, organs, androids, tentacles, surveillance cameras, crustaceans, fish, and more—to challenge viewers’ perceptions of necessity versus excess.

Looking forward, van den hooven is holding his inaugural solo art exhibition at the Clyde Gallery, Bay Pavilions Art+Aquatic centre, Batemans Bay, in August 2025.