Nils Verkaeren

TWENTY METRES OF CANVAS, 130 KILOS OF PAINT, A CANOE, THREE MOUNTAINS AND A MONTH AND A HALF LIVING AMONG THE LOCALS: NILS VERKAEREN WILL SHOW 13 PAINTINGS AND TWENTY PANELS AT GALERIE KUSSENEERS IN BRUSSELS ON 16 APRIL – MADE IN COLOMBIA

In July and August 2022, Nils Verkaeren stayed in Colombia, where he worked on some thirteen large paintings in his ‘open-air studio’ – on top of mountains, along rivers, in open plains, in the jungle. It was the third time he returned to South America, where he was once again captivated by the compelling landscape and the three mountains in eastern Colombia, the Cerros de Mavicuri.

For Nils Verkaeren, a studio is not the ideal working place: as an ‘outdoor’ artist, he prefers to be in direct contact with nature. Nature – always changing, always in motion – fascinates him: he tries to capture the energy of the environment in large-format paintings and on small panels.

Nils Verkaeren does not paint what he sees, he experiences what he paints. This creative process creates a certain – healthy – tension in the artist, a restlessness that gives his paintings a solid dose of dynamism – the image is never static but, like nature, always in motion. Even literally: Nils Verkaeren sets off with canvas and paint, right across the landscape, up to the peaks of the mountains on which he paints. Thus, the artist constantly moves between canvas and reality, and there is not only a dialogue with nature, but also a certain fusion – a unification with nature, in optima forma.

The exhibition ‘Presence of a Mountain’ will be on display at Kusseneers Gallery from April 16 to May 20. The opening will take place on Sunday April 16, from 3pm to 6pm. During the opening, there will be a special performance by musician Dag Taeldeman. The documentary ‘Presence of a Mountain’ will also be shown during the opening and throughout the exhibition. Watch a teaser from the documentary here. An artist talk will take place on Saturday April 22 at the gallery, located at Rue du Menin 10 in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek (Brussels).

Screenings of the documentary will also take place:
April 21 – De Studio, Antwerp (7.30pm)