Gallery Hioco Delany is delighted to present Belgian artist Diego Boonen’s first exhibition for the gallery, titled RED ROSES AND WHITE HORSES. The use of solitary and enigmatic figures, which take central stage in this new series of painting, distinguish Boonen’s dreamy and colourful visual language. Idyllic combinations of deep dark tones and pastels are also prominently featured in the exhibition.
In RED ROSES AND WHITE HORSES the artist invites us to fall in love with solitude. The paintings in this exhibition are often populated by one singular, static figure who demands the attention from all action or inaction around them. ‘Nowadays, we expect everything to happen immediately. We think we can only move forward by taking action. Yet it is more often those who wait, sit and reflect who really flourish’, says Boonen. By disconnecting his characters from all action, Diego Boonen brings a sense of alienation to his work. His oeuvre attempts to portray the experience of the contemporary individual with narrative scenes that developed during his painting process.
In search of motifs, Boonen turns to his everyday life. Therein, horses and flowers are recurrent themes that provide a rich source of inspiration. For Boonen, the horse is not merely of visual interest, but brings forth a sense of lofty nobleness and freedom. Both the horse and pristine nature serve as references to fantasy worlds that have always intrigued Boonen. Through his work, the artist thus creates access to dreams that serve as a meditative escape from reality for both him and the viewer. Accordingly, a painting ofa woman riding a horsein a forest can be seen as just that, but can also lead to an infinite amount of fantasies.
As a self-taught painter, Boonen finds it important to uncover his path as an artist. In Boonen’s view, experimentation is the essence of being an artist. Boonen does not look for a leitmotiv, but tries to use new techniques to bring new layers to his imagery. For RED ROSES AND WHITE HORSES, the artist decided to work strictly with oil paint, oil pastels and pigments. For Boonen, who first immersed himself in acrylic paint, the medium was a rediscovery.
Diego Boonen’s body of work is the result of an endless fascination with history. The artist reverts to the late nineteenth century with a nostalgic feeling, drawing inspiration from post-impressionist painters such as Paul Gauguin, Emile Bernard and Henri Rousseau. The colour palette, primitivist style and scenes of these painters are immediately reflected in his paintings. In all its simplicity, even Pablo Picasso’s earliest known work, Le Petit Picador Jaune, continues to capture Boonen’s imagination. Contemporary artists like Danny Fox and TAL R in turn manage to inspire the artist with their bold childlike and naive styles.
In RED ROSES AND WHITE HORSES, Diego Boonen shows a continuation of his colourful style that he revitalizes with oil paint and adds to it with his dreamy fantasy. The series of works shown in the gallery should let the viewers immerse themselves in their own fantasy in an effort to let go of reality, give way to reflection and to let them flourish, together with the artist.
Text by Jens Roothoofd
