/ˈtɛs(ə)rə/ noun, plural tes·ser·ae
a small block of stone, tile, glass, or other material used in the construction of a mosaic

Tessera is mosaic art by Volken de Vlas. Each piece is manually composed of carefully crafted tiles from a range of materials like paintings or vintage art prints.

From a distance, the work reads as a unified image. Up close, individual fragments reveal colour, texture and accumulated visual memory.

Every work is a handcrafted, autonomous, one-of-a-kind work.

Dokkum, 1975
Graduated at School of Fine Arts Minerva, Groningen, 2000

Trained as a painter, I have always had a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and the transformative potential of visual materials.

Since 2011, I have been working with recycled materials to create new “paintings,” approaching visual art through mosaic-based compositions. My work can be seen as a form of physical, layered pointillism, in which pixel-like fragments are meticulously arranged to form new painterly compositions.

I am fascinated by the process of deconstructing and rearranging visual imagery. I work primarily with vintage prints of well-known works from art history, as well as acrylic experiments on archival board.

Self-portrait as a pirate, 2026. Use of vintage print of Seurat, van Gogh and Macke.

Interested in a work, commission or collaboration?