Dramatic, melodic, colourful, layered, emotional, joyful, sentimental, soft, at times verging on kitsch...? Appellations enough and ambiguous atmospheres when listening to Adamo's oeuvre.
The visitor to Christophe Malfliet's studio not only hears Adamo's music, but feels the artist's specific, almost theatrical predilection for atmosphere, in image and colour. Malfliet likes to play with these elements. A playfulness that leads to a broad, visual oeuvre: from figurative to abstract, from primary colours to pastel shades.
Travelling is another constant in his work and often forms the basis for different series of canvases. This can range from a figurative memory to the abstract depiction of a particular experience: always, the atmosphere of a particular country or a specific travel experience is incorporated into one or more of his works.
‘J'ai tant de rêves dans mes bagages’ is a metaphor for a whole range of experiences, anecdotal or based on experience. Just think of the nocturnal green hues linked to the magical atmosphere of the northern lights in Iceland or the pastel colours with orange colour accents from Sri Lanka, the steel bridges from New York ... . The work acts as a visual rollercoaster, evoking numerous emotions.
Those who look further immediately recognise the deeper stylistic elements of his work, which are greedy and generous. On the one hand, there are the works with a ground layer of dark tones, with a controlled, almost accidental onset of unruly chiaroscuro foundations, bathed in the timbre of bright, low-hanging winter sunlight. One could also interpret the paintings as magical, dim night scenes lit up in extreme artificial light.
Other works, in turn, are reminiscent of the soft, optimistic colour experience of the 1950s. Pastel colours in a no-nonsense setting far removed from the worries of the ‘evil world’. It is precisely this duality from which Malfliet refuses to choose. Ni dieu ni maître, or, no one should determine whether an oeuvre needs to be consistent, let alone repetitive. It is up to the viewer to recognise the unruliness of each work.
Willem Elias writes: ‘Christophe Malfliet shows us what disorder is capable of. Indeed, from the hand-driven brain of an artist, his disorder is another order that he presents to an audience to enjoy, and amuse we do! A feast for the eyes. A carnival of colour gurgles, not prayer cards, but evocations of atmospheres in which one loses the established path to find a new one.’
The result of this exhibition is a quirky anthology, once again revealing how rich Malfliet's oeuvre actually is. Malfliet lives consciously, observes tangentially and decisively translates what he sees and feels to the canvas.
Or in the words of Frederik de Meyer in ‘The art Couch’, ‘Both painter and paint seem to enjoy a fundamental freedom, without getting in each other's way, in perfect harmony. Like an obviousness. Freedom. Sometimes you have to fight for it, sometimes it comes naturally’.