Galerie Fons Welters is pleased to present a solo exhibition of the artist Gé-Karel van der Sterren. As well, the new publication, Liquid City, a monograph on the artist with a text by the Dutch art critic Paul Groot, will be presented at the opening of the exhibition.
Gé-Karel van der Sterren made his solo debut at Galerie Fons Welters four years ago. Since, he has participated in numerous exhibits both nationally and internationally. He has also been nominated for various awards such as the Royal Stipend for Painting and the Prix de Rome (both 1999).
Gé-Karel van der Sterren became known for his playful approach to his often surprising subject matter and, at the same time, for his seemingly carefree ability to virtuously mould and control his paint. Van der Sterren’s paintings have however recently undergone a subtle transformation. The extended, exaggerated forms and over the top images in his earlier works have been replaced by a ‘quieter’ pictorial resolve. His unorthodox choice of subject matter has not disappeared: snowmen, balconies, lawn chairs and bird houses still boldly adorn his canvases. These banal ‘objects’ taken from our daily lives are carefully portrayed through a close inspection of their particular formal details and are no less colourful than previously. His paintings have though acquired a new gravity, and in a sense, a new clarity. They have become sharpened and carry now beneath their apparent frivolous exterior a daunting dark side.
[Maxine Kopsa]