Gallery Sofie Van de Velde proudly presents ‘Sunkissed, Moonlit’, a new solo exhibition by Belgian artist Gommaar Gilliams (°1982, Lier).
Gommaar Gilliams’ relationship to art history is highly personal. His work is bursting with duality, both in terms of its contents and its techniques. The great power of this lies in his knack for bringing contrasting elements together in a natural way. This is only possible through an understanding of both the light and the dark. With the painterly prowess of Georg Baselitz or Cy Twombly, he creates works in whose gentle magic are reminiscent of the paintings of Paul Klee and in whose naturalism and imagination call to mind the work of the symbolists.
Gilliams’ inspiration extends beyond a selection of old masters, however. He has amassed broad-ranging cultural influences that span all periods leading up to and including the present. His chief influences do not always inspire him in terms of style and representation; sometimes they are simply like minds. Such is the case with his admiration of the balanced compositions of László Moholy-Nagy, for example, or the tactility of abstract expressionists like Robert Motherwell or Richard Diebenkorn. Nor is he bound to influences in Western art, finding a sense of connection with the spiritualism of Indian art. As such, it is no wonder that Gommaar Gilliams himself often makes references to painters such as Arnold Böcklin, the Swiss symbolist among whose iconic works feature various interpretations of ‘The Island of the Dead’. As finely painted as Böcklin’s scenes are, some information is withheld. Regarding said ‘Island of the Dead’, the painter leaves to our imagination the question of whether it is a peaceful or a grim place.
The magic of the night that Gommaar Gilliams allows into his works – as did Paul Klee and Leon Spilliaert – aligns perfectly with the notion of entering some parallel world, and this can be felt in the resulting paintings. Thus night brings not only darkness but a different kind of light. Gommaar balances on the point of this night-time mood and its almost undefinable dynamic. However, in stark contrast with the serenity often associated with the night is the whirling creative process the artist engages in every time he returns to his canvasses. Here he utilises oil sticks and acrylic paint, among other materials, and makes use of collage techniques. In doing so, like the German Neue Wilde movement of the 1980s, he recognises the importance of the painterly gesture.
The moon and animal motifs keep recurring throughout his paintings. They are universal symbols that have a binding effect. They refer to a world that can only be reached through fantasies. Using motifs and references, Gommaar Gilliams sketches a personal archive of (art) histories and mythologies, of dreams and desires. He doesn’t paint the aura or the feelings of his figures, but rather those of the artist himself. Characteristic are the strong colours, the different materials and the movement of the canvasses. He emphasizes the emotional world by repeating and exaggerating his forms, by using bright colors and distorting reality.
Text fragment ‘Shadowplay’ – Wim Lammertijm