PROJECTS
2011/2013 — the Red Light District, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Vieze Mannetjes - Dirty Men
The Dirty Man series originated in Amsterdam and can be seen as an early expression of SOMS, particularly in its distinctive faces and technique.
The series was born in Amsterdam’s Red Light District, where Kavelaars’ studio was located at the time. The men wandering the streets inspired the title, but the idea behind the series is much more universal: everyone has their own secret hobbies, desires, guilty pleasures, or little obsessions.
Maybe you secretly collect Barbie dolls and prefer to keep it that way? Maybe you have a fascination with something nobody would ever guess about you? Or perhaps there’s a small, slightly strange obsession you’d rather not tell anyone.
Over the years, the Dirty Men have travelled far beyond Amsterdam — from Shanghai, China to the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles.
2013/2018 - Shanghai, China
Soms in china
After the Dirty Men came Bally, created in China. The use of colour and the rounded shapes of the faces already mark a clear development towards SOMS.
Bally is all about communication. Merijn Kavelaars lived in Shanghai for four years, and during his early days there, he often found himself lost in translation — unfamiliar with both the language and the culture.
This experience became the starting point for the ball in the mouth: a visual symbol for the struggle to communicate, and for having something to say but not quite knowing how to say it.
2021 - Exhibition, Waalre, The Netherlands
Soms de kraker sometimes squatting
An exhibition in an old squatted warehouse — raw, rough and full of traces of life. Burnt-out rooms, abandoned mattresses and wheelchairs. An unlikely setting, but a perfect one for a SOMS exhibition.
The surroundings turned the exhibition into a total experience. Rather than competing with the paintings, the rawness of the space gave them room to breathe, creating a dialogue between the artwork and its surroundings.
2023 - Taipei, Taiwan
Soms in Taipei
Together with Wangsim Gallery, Kavelaars' exhibited the SOMS series at the Night Art Fair in Taipei. Alongside the familiar paintings, Kavelaars presented a more experimental side of SOMS, exploring how the visual language could move beyond the canvas.
These works took the form of wall sculptures: abstract wooden cut-outs, painted in the colors and visual language of SOMS. The result was a playful step from two-dimensional painting into physical space.
2024 - Waalre, The Netherlands
Soms Treeswijk
An intimate exhibition at De Treeswijkhoeve, where the two-Michelin-starred restaurant provided a beautiful setting for a couple of SOMS paintings.
Several of the works were inspired by food, creating a natural connection between the art and its surroundings.
The paintings became part of the dining experience, bringing the playful world of SOMS into a space where food, design and art come together.
upcoming - November 2026
Soms solo
In November, an intimate exhibition will take place at Merijn Kavelaars’ studio in Waalre, launching a new series of SOMS pieces.
The exhibition will bring together existing collectors, clients and new visitors interested in discovering the world of SOMS.
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