ELSEWHERE, brings the newest work of Belgian artist Romeo Hoornaert (1974) to Gallery Hioco Delany. For the exhibition, Hoornaert secluded himself for a year, making more than 2,500 abstract creations. The exhibition shows a selection of thirteen works on paper.
Romeo Hoornaert works and lives in Antwerp. Between 1991 and 1993, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Bruges, after which he continued his studies at the Fashion Department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Nevertheless, Hoornaert is a self-taught painter. He previously exhibited at Gallery Annette De Keyser. In 2010, he participated in Innercoma, a major artistic project by Philip Metten at Z33, Hasselt. Today, his body of work is on view at Gallery Hioco Delany.
In ELSEWHERE, Hoornaert focuses on the power of the meaningless. With his instinctive scribbles, the artist seeks to highlight the process. After all, according to Hoornaert, art is not to be found in the result, but in action and the moment action comes to a halt. 'The creation process is deceptive, because as an artist you are often too involved in your work. In art, everything revolves around knowing when to stop', he explains.
For Hoornaert, it is important to lose control. The artist therefore created his work rhythmically between mountains of paper, the sheets of which he painted with acrylic paint in one swift motion. ‘Putting movements on paper all day and night, created something remarkable: an intimate moment.' For the artist, thirteen of the more than two thousand works made contain exactly that: a spark created between the viewer and the work.
Hoornaert draws inspiration from the Japanese Gutai Art Association. In the 1950s, this group of abstract artists created art like never before seen, often linked to performance. The creative process was more important than the result. Like the COBRA group in Europe, the Gutai drew inspiration from movement and childlike freedom. For Hoornaert, too, a child's doodle is endlessly interesting: 'There is magic in a children's drawings, because it is often so pure. They open their hearts with colour. I try to do the same. It's not about an idea, it's about movement and the ability to be free.'
Allowing his subconscious to speak, Romeo Hoornaert shows himself particularly fragile with ELSEWHERE,. Although this is not the first time he has made abstract work using loose movements, the exhibition still feels strongly personal. 'With this work, I open my soul to the viewer. It shows how I felt during the creation process. This way, the exhibition is a compilation of my most unrestrained moments of the past year.'
Text by Jens Roothoofd
