Art has always played a central role in the life of Ariane Verstraete (°1986). From childhood she took lessons at the SASK in Deinze. She studied photography at NARAFI and has been active as a photographer for ten years. In 2018 she decided to shift her focus to other visual art forms, but it will come as no surprise that light remains an important aspect in her work.
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Ariane is inspired by the work of the abstract expressionists and impressionists. Colour, experiment, light and curiosity are central to her paintings and installations. The experiment manifests itself in the exploration of different materials and the exploration of their properties.
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She finds it important that the work challenges the viewer to give their own interpretation. It is a search for what is going on in her head and converting it into something that can be experienced, something tangible.
Painted Black
With this series, Ariane invites you to look beyond the black. An emotional reflection of a dark but beautiful period in her life.
Lulu
The paintings in this series were made during and shortly after Ariane's pregnancy. The different colors represent an emotional rollercoaster of intense happiness but also of deep despair. In this way, Ariane wants to discuss the complexity of emotions, which our society does not always listen to. Every pregnancy has different colors.
The paintings in this series were made during and shortly after Ariane's pregnancy. The different colors represent an emotional rollercoaster of intense happiness but also of deep despair. In this way, Ariane wants to discuss the complexity of emotions, which our society does not always listen to. Every pregnancy has different colors.
life
A representation of how life is / can be / becomes: confusing, complicated, entangled, knotted
A knot that is slowly unraveled into a tender, tangible sculpture.
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This work turned out to be an emotional mirror for the artist. It was a kind of subconscious therapy.
The labour-intensive process in which the ropes were colored and woven is as important as the end result and was also portrayed. The tangle of woven threads that eventually become one is a chaotic quest. By trying hard, starting again, and persevering, it eventually turns out to be possible to form the shapeless rope into a permanent structure. After insistence, the matter can be manipulated, but ultimately decides on the end result.
Artwork Gertrude Perkins