About Wouter van der Giessen

Van der Giessen considers his work a ‘serious playground’. He collects objects that he combines in sculptures, murals, paintings and installations. Humour almost always plays a role in his colourful creations. He increasingly focuses on works in public spaces, in which he searches for the alienation between his designs and a specific space. ‘I create a sculpture, something with a childlike appeal that you want to look at. It evokes memories of a playful mentality in all of us.’ In 2023, Van der Giessen participated in the BUILD! project at the Lage Weide industrial estate in Utrecht. Here he presented his work Palletstapel, which was seen at ARTZUID 2025. It is a construction that transforms the industrial landscape into a playful stacking of pallets. He was inspired by the colourful activity of the site, with blue and green trucks driving in and out and stacks of red pallets. For him, it has a playful and sculptural appearance, almost like a grown-up playground.