Born in Maastricht in 1961, he now lives and works in Eindhoven. He has already had a series of exhibitions, that were always accompanied by intractable catalogues. Van Iersel is self-taught and curious about materials, about media and about life itself.
As an eightteen-year-old he designed posters for rock concerts at the Effenaar, drew comics, played drums for Der Junge Hund and made his first very colourful exprssionist paintings which led to a solo exhition at Galerie Willy Schoots inmediately.
Van Iersel 's work may be called expressionist in that respect that it expresses an image of a tangible reality or condition formed in the artist's inner world. The personal aspect that is the basis of this concept makes it hard to bring artists under a common denominator.
Rik van Iersel is developing his own signature style that remains subject to change. He works fast and sponteneaous. Painting takes place as a proces in which forms develop which incite ideas and memories continuously.
Van Iersel is a traditional painter both in subject and technique. He often uses themes as his guideline that have been recurring in the arts through the ages.
In recent years Rik van Iersel has had exhibitions in Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, New York and San Francisco.