Zodiac by Tymon de Laat

Zodiac was crafted by the renowned artist Tymon de Laat. The artist chose to portray a Chinese lady adorned in traditional clothing alongside the typical Chinese lamps. The mural was a gift from Holland Casino to the Chinese community. The casino commissioned it due to the number of Chinese customers, so the painting is an homage to them. There was no better location than the Oude Westen for this artwork! Given the significant Chinese community in this area of Rotterdam, the front section of the West-Kruiskade is frequently referred to as Chinatown. The Chinese population’s presence in the area is so significant that Chinese New Year’s Eve is celebrated annually on this street. 

Each year aligns with a unique zodiac sign, represented by an animal symbol. The zodiac explains human traits through these symbols, guiding individuals to achieve their yearly goals and surpass challenges. Tymon’s expertise is creating portraits accentuated by distinct color areas on the subjects’ faces, making his artworks uniquely recognizable. In this case, the colors on the woman’s face also symbolize a dragon, which holds significance every year (besides representing certain years) due to the traditional dragon dance, making it one of the most prevalent symbols of Chinese civilization.

About the artist:

Tymon de Laat is a true Rotterdammer, one of the local artists in the collection. He started his studies when younger at Willem de Kooning, the city’s leading college for people who desire to pursue art degrees. At that time, the original intent wasn’t to become a painter, so he did an Art Advisor bachelor’s degree. After the experience, he realized that wasn’t exactly what he was looking for and embarked on his life journey.

He went on an adventure in Latin America. Without much money, he could only afford some basic comfort and couldn’t visit the regular tourist places. He explored hidden gems and met the locals, with whom he created connections, and discovered the culture of these countries more spontaneously. This way, he started to make portrait photographs. Later, that became the main focus of his murals. After this trip, he dedicated himself to painting. Took him almost 10 years to develop his painting style, requiring practice and hard work from the artist. It was worth it because he defined a personal style that anyone can recognize as a Tymon artwork. In his style, portraits of real people are reinvented by spotting some color areas in the face.

The artist explains that these colored shapes aim to distract us from the skin tones, emphasizing that the central concept of his work is humanity and how people can connect with his walls on a personal level or through curiosity about other cultures. Like this, all his walls across the globe connect by creating interest in what makes each one of us unique.