Demiak was born in 1967 as Maarten Demmink in Goudriaan, the Netherlands. After two years at Utrecht Art College, he studied at the Royal Academy in The Hague.

In his work no human beings are to be seen, only traces of their presence.

"The Big Blow" series depicts hurricanes, floods and other natural catastrophes all over the world. Whether they happened centuries ago or last month, they all look similar: like old yellowed photographs, as if they belong to a long forgotten history. In this age of information, our sympathy is more volatile than ever, and easily shifts from the less picturesque disaster to the next event. Demiak's paintings can be seen as small monuments against oblivion.
The wall sculptures are a little more abstract, not depicting certain incidents, but emanating the same sense of desolation and loss.