He is born in Bussum, The Netherlands, 1967) studied at Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Amsterdam, and followed postgraduate studies at Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten, Amsterdam, 1993. His work moves along the intersection of art, science and experiments with technology, which have lead him to kinetic and sound sculptures, and installations. The basic idea behind his work involves the influence of hard and soft technologies on humans, their environment and social relations. And the means with which he makes his work involves the exploration of physics, biology, chemistry, electronics and software development.

He writes that his work 'is also a search for synergistic art forms where multiple senses are simultaneously addressed through movement, light, sound and smell, in an attempt to achieve a symbiosis between hard and soft technology'.

But this is an inadequate description of Zwanikken's works because they convey, whatever their appearance might be, an emotional resonance, which contradicts their mechanical nature.

He has exhibited widely and in 1993 received the Uriot Art Prize. Christiaan Zwanikken lives in Amsterdam.