05 september 2021, Manuela Klerkx
Yves Zurstrassen: Composer of painting
A solo exhibition by Belgian artist Yves Zurstrassen (1956, lives and works in Brussels) entitled 4 Colors opens At Baronian Xippas in Brussels on 9 September. The show consists of two presentations: in the large gallery, in addition to a number of monumental paintings, smaller paintings are shown, while in the opposing smaller gallery, for the first time, a large hand-woven tapestry painting measuring 2 metres by 2 metres and three smaller ones can be admired. This new technique for the artist appears to be a nice addition to his existing oeuvre. In Studio In Sights: Yves Zurstrassen, a video by Cynthia Schibli and Bertrand Boissimon made for this occasion, the artist explains that, unlike Warhol and his Factory, he needs solitude to work well, or rather, the loneliness together with the northern light entering his studio through large skylights and the music, preferably free jazz:
‘Only music keeps me company. She's with me. All the time.'
Zurstrassen carefully constructs his paintings from several layers of oil paint - applied with a brush or palette knife - in combination with collages and de-collages (a technique in which the negative of a stencil is used). Just like a composer composes his music on the basis of notes and voids that alternate rhythmically and melodically, Zurstrassen 'composes' his paintings through a great freedom that belongs to an expressive, intuitive way of painting on the one hand and a structured, formal approach on the other. Together with the use of vibrant colours and various abstract and figurative motifs, this leads to an exciting oeuvre in which movement and stillness alternate. Just as in music sound and silence go hand in hand.
Yves Zurstrassen, 18 05 04 Contrepoint Rouge, 2018, Baronian Xippas.
On the occasion of his solo exhibition at Baronian-Xippas, I asked him the following questions:
MK: Is this your first time showing handmade tapestries to the public? Where did the idea come from to show tapestries in addition to paintings?
YZ: For the past two years I have experimented with various techniques, which I had executed by external workshops, such as screen prints (for editioned works) and mosaics (for public spaces). All these creative processes fascinate me and free me from the medium of painting. I've always wanted to make tapestries, but my work had to suit this medium. I was passionate about visiting Tournai, home of the famous Tournai tapestries, it was like entering a dimension outside of time. Over there, craftsmen work for a year to create one tapestry. Through the production of tapestries, we contribute to the appreciation and preservation of this cultural heritage.
MK: Your painting oscillates between lyrical abstraction and abstract expressionism. It is never formal or figurative. Can you explain what drives you to make your artistic choices?
YZ: All canvases in this exhibition are created using stencils, made from photos of my old paintings that were created in a gestural way. Also, for the first time there are even floral designs...
MK: In your opinion, is the painting process based on the gaze, the observation, on what the canvas 'wants to say' or is it the result of a mental or emotional state?
YZ: Painting for me is the result of a meditation where I forget everything I know. It is a mirror of great intensity. Each painting is like living material, a new adventure… It is a permanent interrogation.
MK: You have a very physical, gestural way of painting. Can you explain where that comes from?
YZ: At the moment I don't work in a gestural manner at all. It's like a palimpsest where the gesture is nothing more than a memory I can lean on.
MK: Did you inherit your love for art from home or is it the result of a personal discovery?
YZ: It is a very personal process, an increasingly spiritual path.
MK: Can you name a painter or a painting that inspires you to this day?
YZ: It is a very personal process, an increasingly spiritual path.
MK: Can you imagine a life without art?
YZ: No, for me painting is like breathing. My whole life is organized around making art, which is such an intensive process, that it cannot be supplanted by anything else.
MK: Do you believe in art as a way to make the world more beautiful or better, not only aesthetically but also substantively? And if so, how?
YZ: I can't speak for everyone but for myself I can say that art makes me a better person. There is an energy in the creative process that transcends us and enables a journey to areas yet unknown. Art is an infinite dimension where the mind likes to have its way in a playful manner.
