Kobe van den Hauwe is an artist born and based in Antwerp, Belgium.

As an artist, he believes in the power of humor, which is too often underestimated. In his work, playfulness, absurdity and irony take center stage. Masks play an important role in this.

A mask can bring bizarre, exaggerated figures and scenes to life, suddenly making them feel real and tangible. It blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction and questions the identity and intentions of its wearer. His masks form a bridge through which his absurd world slips into ours.

His practice explores how humor can be both lighthearted and sharp, even critical. Present-day themes are often his starting point, turning his masks into new, contemporary folkloric figures. Handmade from foam, papier-mâché, rubber and other materials, his masks have tackled themes such as mass consumption, climate change, social tolerance and more.