Abstracted #1: Aeroplastics @ WASHINGTON186

ABSTRACT #ED 1
16 June - 17 July 2017
Aeroplastics @ Washington186, Brussels

Abstracted is a reflection on the multitude of facets that comprise the notion of non-figurative art. The subject itself is atypical for the Aeroplastics gallery, whose approach has always been more linked to figuration, and in particular to human representation. But for all that, the question is not dealt with in a classic way - as evidenced by Carlos Aires' installation, where figures are reduced to their simplest expression to create an ensemble of colored shapes. Atelier Van Lieshout applies this reflection to sculpture, with forms that continue to recall the human. As well with Johan Van Mullen, who quite early on became impassioned by the representation of faces, and whose starting point is the human figure. For Arpaïs du Bois, the written word, the figurative and the abstract mingle in poetic compositions with tell tale titles. Color and light are inseparable: we find this preoccupation in the works of Hervé Ic and Gaston Bertin. Both delight in a shared taste for illusion: Hervé Ic in directly using pigments on canvas, and Gaston Bertin by playing on the photographic reproduction of handmade collages. In the case of Laurent Da Sylva, his experimental work focuses on the perception of time and space. Illusion is also the subject of Wolfram Ullrich, whose œuvres bear witness to his attraction to optical art. Drawing her inspiration from the natural world, the works of Catherine François evoke the movement of organic life. This is also the starting point for Miguel Chevalier, whose works turn digital technology to poetry. Michael Johansson, Tom Dale, Arik Levy, John Isaacs and Laurent Perbos all have in common either their reference to design or in their resorting to everyday objects that are 're-routed' to serve as material for playful and poetic works. Sometimes oscillating between painting and sculpture, the works of both Marco Mazzucconi and Joachim Elzmann are realized with a marked economy of means. Those of Koen Delaere, by contrast, bear traces of multiple interventions and the superposition of pictorial layers. Dynamic and colorful, the tableaux of Danny Rolph are an ode to lyric abstraction. An early adept of street art, Paulo Arraiano has retained its brilliance while adopting a palette now focused more on somber tones. Mark Titchner uses video to transpose a universe constructed around words and slogans. As for Gavin Turk, a skilled practitioner détournement, he reminds us that in a world so saturated with images, even the most striking can be reduced to colored shapes, barely decipherable.

PY Desaive



1: Mind@Art