Crooked Teeth in an Octopus' Garden brings together ten years of Simon's artistic development and shows how his work moves between figuration and material exploration. In the period 2015–2025, Simon's practice has undergone a major transformation. Painting remains central, but he increasingly seeks out space and establishes connections with other disciplines. What began as painting has grown into a versatile, multidisciplinary practice in which paintings, murals, sculptures, and installations come together.

The subjects Simon chooses seem simple: stray dogs, sharks, squid, and rocky seascapes, but they are not illustrations from a book about animals or nature. They wrestle free from the paint. His work is a continuous struggle between form and content, between painted matter and the image that emerges from it. The medium itself is part of the message. Because the animals he paints are often associated with danger or fear, there is also a certain aggression lurking in the images, reflected in the treatment of the surface and the materiality. This dialectic flirts with expressive abstraction: images emerge from the material but seem to immediately merge back into it, forcing the viewer to rediscover what they see time and again. Ultimately, what moves on the canvas is the painterly gesture itself.

With the publication of *Crooked Teeth in an Octopus’ Garden*, this period is presented for the first time in a carefully designed publication.

The book contains contributions from various figures involved in the art world, each reflecting on Simon’s work in their own way. Ranti Tjan wrote the foreword and places his work in a broader art-historical context. Painter and graffiti pioneer Niels ‘Shoe’ Meulman wrote an essay in which he addresses the painterly and experimental aspects of his practice. Additionally, Nico Thöne, Director of Make Eindhoven, delves deeper into Simon’s work process and the development of his practice over the years in a studio conversation. Together, these contributions offer a nuanced picture of his work and the path he has taken in recent years.

Dive straight into the creative world of Casper Herselman, his graphic design studio ATTAK, and the cultural sparks that fly from his gallery Ruby Soho.

For over twenty years, ATTAK has stirred and shaken the world of graphic art. Apocalypse Dreamland reveals how graphic design connects people, thrives through unexpected collaborations, and adds bold, meaningful imagery to the world. All driven by a fierce DIY ethos.

ATTAK’s work has found its way to global stages. From renowned musicians and hardcore skateboard brands, to galleries and cultural institutions. Sometimes raw and in your face. Sometimes with a subtle punch. Always powerful and unmistakably its own.

From sketch to failure, from experiment to masterpiece, Apocalypse Dreamland offers a backstage pass to a handmade world that embraces new technologies without losing its soul. Whether it’s skateboard decks, T-shirts that hit hard, political posters or large murals: it’s all there. Every project carries a story and dares you to think differently. 

In an age of digital sameness, Apocalypse Dreamland celebrates the flaws, the rough edges, and the wild ideas that keep creation human. Make something ugly or cool. Dive in headfirst. Have fun, love what you do, and never lose sight of your ideals. With a foreword by Jamie Thomas, a preface by Pascal Vugts and an interview by Paul Segers.

Born in 1981, Casper Herselman is a graphic designer and cultural entrepreneur. Through his studio ATTAK, he has developed a unique mix of autonomous art and social engagement. His work has been exhibited at venues such as Kunsthal Rotterdam, GF Smith Show Space (London), CYAN Gallery / O’More College of Design (Franklin Tennessee), and Alley Gallery (Hasselt, Belgium). Beyond his studio practice, Herselman has initiated various festivals and art projects and founded the gallery Ruby Soho in ’s-Hertogenbosch.