
Van Holmgren was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and raised in central Iowa. He has worked as a professional and full-time artist for 15 years. His work has been shown across the United States and as far as London, Australia, Canada, and Brazil. There is a certain visual vibrancy that is consistently seen in his work, be it with color or content. Art is an idea, a way to present a statement to the universe and shout as loud as you can.
His work depicts the modern human inevitably confronting and negotiating all of today’s experiences. Actions that have happened, will happen, and possible could happen. Much is the same with Van’s more sculptural work, where he presents the viewer with everyday objects revealing silent intentions, often juxtaposing man-made traps with arrows. He uses smoke in his work to show that humans have been there and have done something to the area. Snakes are often used to depict poisonous people that have no intention to help others than themselves. It is the artist’s job to wade through the muck of the workd to find truths to present to the viewer.