b. 1980, England

Claus Stangl is a visual artist based in Sydney, Australia.

He works primarily in acrylic. His practice has been described as loose realism, always playful in subject matter and bold in execution, often leveraging negative space and vibrant pigment on large scale canvases.

In 2022 Claus’ depiction of New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi won him the coveted Packing Room Prize at the Archibald Art Prize - Australia’s most popular art competition.

No stranger to the Archibald Prize, Claus had previously made finalist in 2020 with his portrait of Australian hiphop artist L-FRESH The Lion.

In 2025 Claus made finalist at the National Emerging Artist Prize.

BANG BANG - author and gallery director Amber Creswell Bell wrote:

”Claus Stangl's work does precisely what art is meant to do - it visually provokes, it asks questions of us, it is deeply personal to the artist, and yet taps into the nostalgia of a whole generation.

BANG BANG explores the motifs, cultural symbols and shared memories of growing up in the 80’s - distilled through the specific lens of Claus’ own recollections. Deftly utilising a wide array of media, it is clear the artist enjoyed the making of this show. This work is conceptual, cheeky and joyous in equal parts.

With his very distinct visual language of “loose realism” - which has seen his work recognised in multiple high profile art prizes - Claus does not go softly. By design his work is high impact, alive, and very effectively halts you in your tracks. Claus knows exactly what he is doing here.”

- Amber Creswell Bell



@claus_stangl_art

As a filmmaker Claus works in a directing partnership with photographer/director Stuart Miller under the name MERCHANT .

MERCHANT offer a double-barrelled creative hit, combining their respective talents of writer/director (Claus) and cinematographer/director (Stuart).

merchantpictures.com

Available for commissions & collaborations