About

Amsterdam-raised artist Ran Kunst spent 28 years abroad where he studied graphic design and built a career as a product designer and entrepreneur in the internet industry, working mostly in small dynamic start-up companies. In 2021 he and his family moved back to Amsterdam where he now is in the position to spend more time making art. 

Having always enjoyed creating characters with rich background stories, his character the Shouter was born about 8 years ago. Working in the highly competitive tech industry, Ran has encountered quite some people who are convinced to have access to ‘the one and only truth’. Ran: “They talk but fail to listen. Put some of these talkers together in a room and talking quickly turns into shouting.” During endless doodling sessions in countless meetings Ran’s Shouter character continued to develop. Gradually he discovered that this shouting persona was often nothing more than a mask – a costume so to speak – to hide insecurities and other perceived flaws. As today’s society is ruled by Shouters, Ran shows them in all sorts of guises according to the role they play.

Every Shouter is hand painted and each painting is unique. The artist wants them to look perfect at first glance, since that’s how they want to appear to the world. But once you get closer, you start seeing their imperfections. While most Shouter paintings are relatively small – each of them telling their story –  they make a bigger impact in a series of 3, 4 or 5. In addition to his paintings, Ran envisions producing Shouters in limited printed editions and making 3d Shouters in the form of art toys or as a large sculpture. There will be a limited number of different Shouters per collection making the owner part of a relatively exclusive club.