Wouter van de Koot (b. 1978) is an independent Dutch visual artist based in Antwerp, Belgium. He graduated from the HKU (Utrecht School of Fine Arts) in 2001, after which he went on to win the Utrecht Young Talents Prize and was a nominee for the Royal Dutch Painting Prize. Wouter's main interest lies with painting and performance art, often related to reenacted personal experiences, fears, dreams and fantasies. Wouter’s visual language is heavily influenced by the aesthetics of religious art, horror movies and graphic novels. His work is mostly dominated by male figures in situations of mental or physical distress, bordering on the grotesque. Recurring themes are vulnerability, consolation, mutual dependence, trust, beauty and decay.