I am Daniel, and I’m a Dutch artist based in Malaysia, creating one-of-a-kind monotype prints inspired by traditional architecture.

My work grew from a simple question: what makes a place feel like home? For me? Difficult question. It used to be at my parents, the place I could be having my feet on the coffee table zoning out without having to worry about a thing. That place is long gone, but the memory isn’t.

Homes are houses and that is something I am interested in and am exploring. I don’t mean nation’s greatest and famous landmarks, but more personal; the houses people built to live in—shaped by generations of local knowledge, craftsmanship and an understanding of their environment. As I watched, places many generations called home disappear. In a world where people moved on, traditional houses remain. In the real world they are disappearing but in my work they stay.

I don’t believe the past was better than it is today. Every society has its flaws. But I do believe that, we remember our heritage positively, however, in our pursuit of progress, we’ve become remarkably willing to discard things that are difficult to measure: a sense of belonging, connection to place, craftsmanship, community and the feeling of being rooted somewhere. My work is an attempt to slow down and reflect on what we choose to leave behind.

That is why I reconstruct traditional architecture.

I begin by researching and digitally rebuilding each structure by hand using real-world references. Once the model is completed, it becomes the starting point for a physical process, where I create layered monotype prints using acrylic paint and a gel plate. The modelled house is in the centre, placed in different compositions and colours. Every print is pulled by hand and every impression is unique. The structure remains the same, but its atmosphere changes each time, much like memory itself.

My current body of work begins with the Rumah Kutai of Perak, Malaysia, though the questions behind the work reach far beyond a single country or culture. Wherever people have built homes that grew from their landscape and community, I see stories worth preserving and values worth reflecting upon.

Through my work, I invite viewers to pause, reflect and ask themselves what makes a place feel like home—and what is worth carrying with us into the future.

Every digital model is built by hand. Every print is pulled by hand. Generative AI plays no role in the creation of my work.