Statement
“The world is not what I think, but what I live through.” – Maurice Merleau-Ponty
At the center of my practice is my cultural journey in the Netherlands. It moves between the Catholic South and the Protestant, urban West. This bicultural perspective directly shapes my visual language.
My work starts with lived perception, with that small “aha” moment when something feels, almost, familiar. I follow it playfully. I take detours. I test what happens when recognition wobbles. Through wall reliefs and constructed elements, I explore how meaning comes into being while you look. Not by delivering one clear story, but by leaving space for questions and surprises.
Chance and intuition are not separate ideas in my process. They belong to the making itself. They guide decisions along the way and leave traces you can sense in the finished work.
Born in Venlo, my journey from Catholic culture to Protestant culture changed what I notice. It also changed how I interpret what I see. It taught me that familiarity can be unstable. Even when something seems to fit, it can still feel slightly off—because the rules behind recognition shift from place to place.
In my works, an architectural logic invites to organize and understand. Then, little by little, it loosens its grip and opens into ambiguity. The turning point is the moment perception becomes interpretation—when looking becomes active. Material and traces of making stay visible, like the work is quietly winking: “Look again. Try a different angle.”
I do not translate this journey into a literal narrative or direct symbols. Instead, it becomes tension, between what can be named and what stays elusive, between expectation and a subtle twist. The result is a viewing experience where meaning does not land in one fixed answer. It adapts to you, and it can feel different each time you return, shaped by your own perspective.
CV
Charlie Kater (1970, Venlo, The Netherlands). Lives and works in Hilversum, The Netherlands.
Education:
- 1994-1998 Bachelor of sculpture at AKI Academie voor Kunst en Industrie in Enschede, NL
- 1997 International fine arts exchange program at University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
- 2002-2004 Bachelor of Education in Visual Arts & Design (With Honours) at Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht, NL
- 2024 Member of Artists’ Association Vereniging van beeldend kunstenaars Maatschappij Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam, NL
Solo exhibitions:
- 2027 Solo at Artspace Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam NL
- 2024 18 pieces at VDHP Exposities, Amsterdam NL
- 2023 There is more different than it seems to be, Achter de Ramen, Amsterdam NL
- 2020 Charlie achter de Ramen, Amsterdam NL
- 2018 I try to keep up with the rhythm, Atelier P68, Amersfoort NL
Group exhibitions:
- 2026 Rondje Schoonhoven with Ted Jooren and Sharieta Berghuis+ Zilvermuseum, Schoonhoven NL
- 2026 Artmatters 17(Online) Galerie Biesenbach, Koln GER
- 2026 TWIST PLAYGROUND with Uzine Park, De Bouwput Gallery, Amsterdam NL
- 2026 Hectobar 42.0 Kunst&Complex, Rotterdam NL
- 2026 SECRETS, Stagegalery, Bonn GER
- 2026 Hectobar 41.0, C3, Rotterdam NL
- 2026 Hectobar 39.0, #Heejsteck, Utrecht NL
- 2025 Salon 2025, Arti et Amicitiae, Amsterdam NL
- 2025 Playground Twist with Marit Shalem, De Bouwput Gallery, Amsterdam NL
- 2025 Blauwdruck onder 0, Museum Eicas, Deventer NL
- 2025 Small paintings and sculptures, Gallery 57w57arts, New York USA
- 2025 “UPDATE” Arti et Amicitae, Amsterdam NL
- 2024 Salon Arti et Amicitae, Amsterdam ML
- 2024 Hectobar 30.0 (Pop-up sale/swap event curated by V&B), Galerie Heejsteck, Utrecht NL
- 2024 Onze Wereld, KV Laren /Blaricum, Kerk, Johanneskerk Laren NL
- 2024 Hectobar 28.0 (Pop-up sale/swap event curated by V&B), Galerie Heejsteck, Utrecht NL
- 2023 Hectobar 26.0 (Pop-up sale/swap event curated by V&B), Galerie Heejsteck, Utrecht NL
- 2023 Mooi is anders, KV Laren /Blaricum, Rosa Spierhuis, Laren NL
- 2022-23 Maquette (curated by Robert Moon), No Show Space Gallery, London UK
- 2022 100 years KV Laren /Blaricum, Singer Museum Laren NL
- 2021 Fluffycrimes,- Show #7, Mana Contemporary Art Center (studios) Chicago ILL. USA
- 2021 Herontdekkingen with KV Laren /Blaricum, Kasteel Groeneveld, Baarn NL
- 2020 Laureatensalon KPSK, Kasteel Cortewalle, Beveren BE
- 2019 With Jan de Ruyter at Zaansgroen Gallery, Zaandam NL
- 2019 Prize Piet Staut, Kasteel Cortewalle, Beveren BE
- 2019 Kunstkijkroute Amersfoort, Amersfoort NL
- 1998 AKI Finals Sculpture, Kunstvereniging Diepenheim NL
Publications:
- “Maquette”, Catalogue 2022 by Robert Moon
- “Verenigde Solisten, 100 jaar vereniging van Beeldende kunstenaars Laten-Blaricum” door Peter C.L. van der Ploeg, 2022 ISBN 9789090363790
Collections:
- Private collections
Prizes:
- 2019: Prijs Piet Staut: 2nd prize, BE
