18 february 2022, Flor Linckens
Tom Poelmans: “I like telling stories with my works.”
Until 19 March, rodolphe janssen in Brussels is showing the exhibition 'Next time you see me, it won't be me’, with work by the Flemish artist Tom Poelmans.
What immediately stands out in the exhibition is a huge black and white photograph, which is attached to one of the gallery walls as photo wallpaper. When you look closer, you see thousands of figurines staring at you: aliens, as well as skeletons, rock stars, superheroes and the David. An eclectic combination of high and popular culture. But we also see a variety of books with subjects ranging from mummies, 'Piety and Satire', Da Vinci, Rubens, Magritte and the devil. Poelmans also presents taxidermic animals, references to art history and a dizzying amount of photos and illustrations. We are looking at the artist's studio — and it seems that we are able to get a glimpse into the mind of the artist.
Tom Poelmans, Next time you see me, it won’t be me, installation view, rodolphe janssen, Brussels
In 2010, Poelmans completed a master's degree at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, an institution that is known for the large amount of talent it produces. Poelmans initially started making abstract works, until he spent some time in Florence, where he was enchanted by Medieval miniatures and pre-Renaissance works by masters like Giotto. He was particularly touched by the imperfection of the proportions in these works and the lack of realistic perspective. When he spent a month in Los Angeles for a residency in 2020, Poelmans started experimenting with figurative drawing, which would mark a definitive turning point for his career.
Poelmans: Poelmans: “I like telling stories with my works. I like this kind of suggestive elements in a painting. I like art history and symbolism and myths. It’s the influence that Renaissance has on me. The way we see things is usually influenced by what we know and believe; a work of art can undermine or affect everything.”
Tom Poelmans, One bird to rule them all, 2021, rodolphe janssen
In 2020, Poelmans showed a series of figurative paintings for the first time, in the exhibition 'The End of Time' in rodolphe janssen. In it, he set himself the goal of translating the famous medieval miniature art form into works on a monumental scale, but in his own distinctive style. At the same time, he took into account the (pre-Renaissance) ways in which scale and perspective were shown (or rather: not shown). The works were full of symbolism and allusions. In the two by three meter work "A Dead Man's Dream" (2020), a reproduction of a miniature that he came across by chance, the artist was also present: in an animal suit in the lower right-hand corner of the painting.
In the current exhibition in the gallery, we see the artist almost everywhere: in a Batman mask, as a giant from Gulliver's Travels (with a mysterious door opening in his neck), and in surreal portraits that seem to be an ode to artists like Dalí and Magritte. But we also see him in the form of a mysterious eagle, made up of dozens of self-portraits. The works contain numerous references to art history, religion, myths and other stories. Every visible element in the decor conceals a symbolic meaning: masks, curtains, the devil, scales, birds and elements that we know from vanitas, including skulls and flowers. As a result, Poelmans' works function as a kind of visual puzzle, in a way that is reminiscent of the works of Hieronymus Bosch. One thing's for sure: you won't walk out of this exhibition as the same person.
Tom Poelmans, Next time you see me, it won’t be me, installation view, rodolphe janssen
