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Before Elevator had a name, there was Daan Koens.

Discovering his Dinner Party series on Instagram sparked the desire to do something more with art. In that sense, Daan is not simply one of the artists we represent. He is part of the reason Elevator exists today.

Daan is an exceptionally gifted painter. Life has not always been kind to him, but its difficult chapters have never managed to limit his ambition. Instead, they have deepened his work and shaped him into the artist he is today: instinctive, fearless and constantly evolving. With every painting, he moves forward.

His rarest talent is his ability to create atmosphere. A painting by Daan does not simply hang in a room; it decides how that room should feel. The emotion is immediate and requires little explanation. Because he paints from within, every work carries something of the moment in which it was created. Raw, honest and almost like a kiss from his soul.

Behind that intensity is someone remarkably intelligent and endlessly curious. Daan follows international media closely, immerses himself in history and builds a depth of knowledge that reaches far beyond the canvas. When something captures his interest, he studies it until he understands it. When he wants to master a new technique, he does so with remarkable speed and discipline. To us, that is the purest definition of talent: curiosity combined with the determination to keep working.

Yet perhaps his greatest quality is his empathy. Daan genuinely cares about people and wants the best for those around him. That tenderness is also reflected in the love he has for his dog, Nala, his loyal companion and an unmistakable part of his world.

Daan belonged in Who Burried Barry in the Elevator because he embodies its central idea: following passion without asking permission. Many artists are afraid to change direction, abandon a familiar style or try something entirely new. Daan is not. Neither are we.

No rules. No hesitation. Just the freedom to create in your own way and the discipline to keep going.

At the end of the day, every Daan Koens are the definition of art.