In her paintings Marlies De Clerck gives an energetic layer to static museum objects. She took the task upon herself to see everything that was on display at the Louvre Museum and to give every object the same attention it deserved. She intuitively had a fascination for smaller objects that became the subject of a series of still lifes in which they are extracted from their context. With loose, assertive brushworks De Clerck creates nearly solid negatives space behind and between the reinterpreted objects. Their muted colors attract viewers to discover differences of light, shadow, reflection and transparency. The poetic minimalism of De Clerck shows that the act of looking at even humble objects against expanses of empty walls and pedestals can be a generous experience. By putting together these modestly scaled paintings, her work becomes conceptual and a collection that gives praise to long-lost anonymous artists.
Marlies De Clerck (Belgium, 1988) studied at KASK, Ghent and previously exhibited at Etablissement d’en Face, Brussels; Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke; HFBK, Hamburg and Museum Dhondt Dhaenens, Deurle.
Marlies De Clerck (Belgium, 1988) studied at KASK, Ghent and previously exhibited at Etablissement d’en Face, Brussels; Verbeke Foundation, Kemzeke; HFBK, Hamburg and Museum Dhondt Dhaenens, Deurle.