Among Australia’s rising talents in abstract cubism, van den hooven stands out with a style that is instantly recognisable; identified by its many quintessential features: bold assertive lines, meticulously curated colour palette, and his symbolic logo-like depictions of facial features, bodily organs and other familiar, unmistakable objects.

Intentionally cluttered, contradictory and complex—van den hooven’s compositions capture the chaos of the modern life, through deconstruction and rearrangement of the internal and external and the animate and inanimate.

Leslie, the artist who creates and sells art under the pseudonym van den hooven, has a research science educational background, having completed a Materials Science degree in 1999 followed by a PhD in 2005, both at the University of Technology, Sydney.

From 2005 until 2014, Leslie lived in the Canary Islands while pursuing one of his other main passions (cycling), founding a successful bicycle rental business there that catered to elite cyclists looking to escape Europe’s harsh winters and train on the slopes of Mt Teide.

Upon returning to Australia, van den hooven’s own journey into art was reignited after completing two separate diplomas in graphic design (at Martin College Sydney, 2016) and illustration (with the Interactive Design Institute at the University of Hertfordshire, 2018).

While not having completed a formal art education, van den hooven’s unique and exclusive cubist art style is heavily influenced from his graphic design and illustration foundations.

Looking forward, van den hooven is holding his inaugral, solo art exhibition at the Clyde Gallery, Bay Pavilions Art+Aquatic centre, Batemans Bay, in August 2025.