Biography

Karin Janssen (b. 1980, Netherlands) is a Dutch visual artist based in Taipei, Taiwan. Working primarily with gouache, pencil and ink on paper, she also creates sculpture and immersive VR experiences that extend the psychological narratives in her drawings. Her work explores human psychology and storytelling through our evolving relationship with the natural world. Roaring mouths, wild animals, and creeping vegetation appear as recurring motifs, reflecting states of transformation, tension, and instinct.

Driven by a fascination with the psychological forces beneath everyday behavior, and how we relate to nature in the face of climate change, Janssen uses art to explore the mirrored dynamics between the inner self and the environment. Her sculptural and VR works emerge from the worlds she builds on paper, expanding them into physical and immersive spaces.

Her work has been exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions including Escape to Solastalgia at New Taipei City Arts Center (2021) and Extraordinary Machine at Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab, C-LAB (2020). Since 2021, she has been developing Project Resurrection, a large-scale artistic initiative using underwater sculpture and virtual reality to support coral reef restoration in Taiwan.

Janssen studied at AKV St. Joost in the Netherlands, completed a residency in Brazil, and has led community-based projects across South America. She is the founder of Karin Janssen Project Space in London, a platform for independent exhibitions featuring both emerging and established artists. Her work has been featured on Taiwanese national television and in international publications including Wall Street International, The Art Newspaper, The Culture Trip, and East End Review.