Artist statement

Musketon is the creative alias of Belgian artist Bert Dries (°1989). He chose the name as a nod to the idea of art as a weapon.

Sharp, loud, and built to disrupt. Growing up in the early days of the internet, he was shaped by memes, message boards, digital junk, and endless scrolling. That world became his playground...and later, his target.

Musketon’s work uses the visual language of pop culture, brands, and mass production to ask uncomfortable questions. He designs hyper-detailed illustrations and objects that look fun at first glance, but carry a sharp critique underneath...about consumerism, online addiction, and the way stereotypes are sold back to us as entertainment.

"I believe art should hold up a mirror to culture. Even when it’s uncomfortable. My work isn’t here to moralize, but to provoke reflection, laughter, and friction.”

His tools are digital, but his art is often physical: objects and sculptures...all meant to bridge the digital and the real. He takes shiny surfaces, like corporate logos, clickbait headlines, glossy symbols, and turns them into visual traps: the kind that pull you in with style, then challenge you to think twice.

“Why do we worship brands?”

“What’s real and what’s just performance?”

“Can critique still exist in a world where everything is for sale?”

Musketon has collaborated with major brands and independent spaces alike. He doesn’t hide the contradiction of working with the same visual systems he questions. He uses it as part of the message. That friction is part of the work.

Whether he’s designing a fake credit card that says ‘Bankrupt’, a soldier holding a selfie stick, or a fake news headline that’s almost believable. He invites you to stop scrolling, look closer...and laugh while it stings.

Musketon is a visual artist, blending tech and culture.

This is what I do...

Career Highlights

Selected solo exhibitions
  • 2014 ‘5 years of Musketon’, Aloft Brussels Schuman, Brussels (BE)

  • 2017 ‘MUSKETON’, Barbé Gallery, Ghent (BE)

  • 2018 ‘HOME’, Institutional solo exhibition, C-mine, Genk (BE)

  • 2024 ‘MUSKETON’, De Zutter Gallery, Knokke (BE)
Private art representations
  • 2023 A night with Musketon, Viluz, Marbella (ES)

  • A night with Musketon, Bourla Schouwburg, Antwerp (BE)

  • 2024 A night with Musketon, The Chick, Mechelen (BE)

  • A night with Musketon, Private client, Schilde (BE)

  • A night with Musketon, Private client, New York, Manhattan SOHO (US)

  • 2025 A night with Musketon, Knokke (BE)
Selected art fairs
  • 2022 Art Basel Miami, Nolcha Shows, Web3 booth, Miami (US)

  • 2023 Luxembourg Art Weekend, De Zutter Gallery, Knokke (BE)

  • 2024 BRAFA Art Fair, De Zutter Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Awards and special mentions
  • 2007 — Red Bull Elektropedia Award — Best Artwork

  • 2007 — 2019 Art ambassador, Selected artist for the Mazda Art Cars Program

  • 2016 — 2020 Z by HP, Art ambassador, Selected artist for the HP Art Program

  • 2016 — 2020 ADOBE, Selected Adobe Artist

  • 2022 Guest Lecturer, PXL-Mad School of Arts, Master in Graphic Design, Hasselt (BE)

  • 2023 Art ambassador Audi, Selected artist for the Audi Art Cars Program
Talks, panels, masterclasses
  • 2017 OFFF Barcelona, Talk, Barcelona (ES)

  • Microsoft, Talk, Redmond, Washington(US)

  • ADOBE MAX, Talk, Las Vegas (US)

  • Turbo Talks, Masterclass (ONLINE)

  • After MAX by Adobe MAX, Talk, Antwerp (BE)

  • BAS Alumni event, Talk, Mechelen (BE)

  • LUCA, School of Arts, Talk, Ghent (BE)

  • BAM Marketing Congress, Talk, Brussels (BE)

  • 2018 OFFF Milano, Talk, Milan (IT)

  • Pure Digital Amsterdam, Talk, Amsterdam (NL)

  • OFFF Barcelona, ADOBE Stage, Barcelona (ES)

  • After MAX by Adobe MAX, Talk, Antwerp (BE)

  • OFFF Sevilla, Talk, Sevilla (ES)

  • Skillshare x Musketon, Masterclass, New York, Manhattan (US) (ONLINE)

  • 2019 OFFF Barcelona, Talk, Barcelona (ES)

  • Musketon @ D&AD, Talk, London (UK)

  • The Open End, Talk, Luxembourg (LU)

  • OFFF Vienna, Talk, Vienna (AT)

  • BelCham VIP-event, Talk, New York, Manhattan (US)

  • Alumni Talks @ PXL-Mad School of Arts, Talk, Hasselt (BE)

  • 2020 OFFF Barcelona, Talk, Barcelona (ES)

  • 2022 OFFF Barcelona, Talk, Barcelona (ES)

  • OFFF TLV, Talk, Tel-Aviv (IL)

  • WEB32, Panel, Antwerp (BE)
Selected group exhibitions
  • 2015 ‘Mode au Bozar’, Institutional exhibition, BOZAR, Brussels (BE)

  • 2019 ‘Kunstennacht’, De Serre, Hasselt (BE)

  • ‘A Group Exhibition’, Teddy Picker, Brussels (BE)

  • 2020 ‘French Fries’, Kill Devil House, New York, Brooklyn (US)

  • 2024 ‘Wear Sunscreen’, Curated by Pieter Jan Valgaeren, Villa Les Zéphyrs, Middelkerke (BE)
Press publications

National press Knack, De Tijd, De Standaard, De Morgen, Het Laatste Nieuws, Het Belang van Limburg (HBVL), De Gentenaar

International press Forbes, Designboom, Hypebeast, Makersplace

Artist in situ interventions
  • 2018 — 2022 OFFF Barcelona, Live mural, Barcelona (ES)

  • 2018 Sushi Samba, Covent Garden, Mural, London (UK)

  • 2019 The Open End, Live mural, Luxembourg (LU)

  • 2022 BelCham, NY Gala, stakeholders event, Live creation, New York, Manhattan (US)
Selected brand collaborations
  • MTV, Nike, Mazda, The Chainsmokers, Ciroc, Jagermeister, Audi, Jaguar, Adobe, Knack, Pornhub, Steve Aoki, Footlocker, Adidas, Coca-Cola, Nalu, Monster, Red Bull, Tomorrowland, Mc Donald’s, AXE, Pukkelpop, Jupiler, RECOR, Hypebeast, Sushi Samba, Too Many Agencies, Hello Bank, Cara Pils