Mathieu V. STAELENS (born in 1980) - Lot 72

Lot n° 72
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Mathieu V. STAELENS (born in 1980) - Lot 72
Mathieu V. STAELENS (born in 1980) The Performer, 2007 Graphite on paper 105 x 75 cm Provenance: Grusenmeyer Art Gallery, Deurle, Belgium (Framed) The works by Mathieu V. Staelens from the “Performers” series are components of an installation yet to come, as is generally the case with Staelens. The artist’s creative process operates, in a sense, in reverse. First, a very broad concept takes shape in his mind, which, as the process unfolds, gradually materializes into various series of paintings, architectural elements, and objects—and even participatory projects. Through this approach, he has sought to offer his own response to the intrinsic challenges of visual language. A form of figurative rhetoric, the suggestive power of the composition, the perceptual intensification brought about by color, and the distancing effect created by “dirty” tones—black or gray—all contribute to this approach. The composition of the “performer” series follows principles similar to those of advertising imagery, except for the obligatory element of the slogan. This in no way prevents Stelens’ images from inviting interpretation, due to their figurative power. Their poses and morbid atmospheres draw the viewer into a very direct confrontation. The mechanism—a consistent framework (the female bust portrait, techniques such as charcoal, pastel, or lacquer, the use of black and white, and the inclusion of a print in the right-hand corner are all constants)—is complemented by the introduction of other motifs that disrupt the established relationships. At the same time, these variables and constants highlight aspects that never reveal themselves outright. It is therefore not surprising that Staelens’s works seem to merely play with meaning. The Performer #3 105 x 75 cm
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