Matthias Schaareman

Matthias Schaareman (born 1986, Arnhem) creates works on paper and oilpaintings that explore the tension between two- and threedimensional space. His forms draw inspiration from household objects, theaters, industrial heritage, and architectural ornaments. He is particularly influenced by the intricate patterns and shapes found in Arabic miniatures and Japanese woodblock prints, both for their precision and for the way these traditions approach perspective and space.

In Schaareman’s compositions, flat planes and vistas become stages where elements are arranged and rearranged in a collage-like process until the parts finally come together in balance.

Schaareman’s forms always carry a degree of abstraction. While their origins and contexts remain recognizable, he reshapes them; building, refining, and deconstructing, to give them an independent, autonomous presence.

A key feature of his work is the recurring use of graphic and decorative patterns. These motifs may function as backgrounds, but just as often they shape the spaces he depicts. Far from being purely ornamental, they also hold narrative and spatial significance.

Much of Schaareman’s work begins without a fixed plan. A windowsill’s angle, the discovery of a new color, or the pattern of a fabric can spark a painting. Some works take months or even years to complete; whether because a crucial element only appears later or because he must find the resolution  to make the final move.

His process is inscribed in the paintings themselves: layers of paint are repeatedly applied and scraped away, while the underlying graphic structures used to generate patterns remain visible in the finished piece. This layering of decisions and revisions gives each work its own history and presence.