Within Charlie De Voet’s oeuvre, the element of play is pivotal in De Voet’s oeuvre. The artist has fun with paint as if it was clay. Employing the physical qualities of oil paint, he explores how far he can go with taking paint outside of the canvas without destroying the material. One day, on a whim, he cut out a work’s surface layer of which the bottom layers of paint had not completely dried yet, and he has never looked back.
Charlie sculpts paintings by pushing matter to its limits. By layering, pressing, cutting, scraping and folding, he (re)places and (re)shapes the surface of the canvas, often allowing for the works to protrude into our space. It is the artist’s urge to experiment with the organic characteristics of paint that turns his works into sculptural installations. Layers upon layers of paint naturally melt into colourful ripples, guided by the handling of the artist. Nearly-dried paint is neatly cut from its carrier and collage-wise reused elsewhere, while the skinned painting is filled in again with new paint. Sometimes the painterly layer is placed as if it slipped away from the canvas, sometimes it is sculpted into a three-dimensional, humorous trompe l’œil.
Translated from original text in Dutch by Yasmin Van ’tveld
Charlie De Voet is Represented by Barbé Gallery (Ghent-BE)
°1977, born in Ronse (Belgium), lives in Zulzeke, works in Ronse.
Education
Master degree in Fine Arts – The Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK), Ghent – graduated with distinction (2007)
Former Assistant Artist at Studio Mark Manders (2013-2021)
When artist Charlie De Voet (b. 1977, Ronse – lives in Zulzeke, works in Ronse) talks about slow colours, it is not just about the solidification of the many layers of oil paint smeared thin and thick. It is also and above all about the frequent mixtures of colours that have come to form his typical muted palette. He does not use pure colours, but mixes light and dark shades, smearing the paint ‘alla prima’, and starting from the centre towards the edges. The cocktail of colours is thus created wet-in-wet, in a single painting session, until a green-grey colorite seems to dominate. In this sense, therefore, the apparently monochrome oeuvre can rather be considered polychrome. Indeed, he tries to obtain as much expressive power as possible with as few visual elements as possible, with the complexity hidden in the mixture: a minimal starting point with maximum multicolour. Organically, pure sheets of paint and composite surfaces emerge that he can detach, cut out and transfer. However, this pared-down simplicity and serenity contrasts with his intense research around matter, where he mixes up the ingredients of a traditional painting, as it were: wood/steel, canvas and oil paint. Charlie De Voet makes spatiality the core of his painting.
Els Wuyts, May 2021
2024 Group show with Conrad Willems, David Boon, Lieven Lefere / TaLe Art Gallery / Vlierzele, BE
2023 Duo show with Joost Pauwaert / ART ROTTERDAM / Rotterdam, NL
2022 AND LO, SLO MO AUTO BANG / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE
2021 SLOW COLOURS FAST SHOW / Art Gallery De Wael 15 / Antwerp, BE
2020 EAT MAKE SLEEP REPEAT / Art Gallery De Wael 15 / Antwerp, BE
2019 Charlie De Voet X Mark Manders / Gevaertsdreef 01/ Oudenaarde, BE
2017 Selected Works / Muntpunt Grand Café / Brussels, BE Charlie De Voet / CC De Ververij / Ronse, BE
2016 WE ARE HERE AND THIS IS THAT / Galerie D’Apostrof / Meigem, BE
2015 This Must Be Constellation 89 / SECONDroom DOKsite / Ghent, BE
2023 In Medias Res / Barbé / Ghent, BE La Primavera / Archipel / Otegem, BE Everybody Has A Plan Until They Get Punched In The Mouth / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE
2022 Art on paper / Vanderborght Building / Brussels, BE MAGELLAN / Barbé Urbain / Knokke, BE Ballroom Project / Antwerp, BE Works on paper / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE 1.1 million pounds / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE Het Oor / Bruthaus / Waregem, BE
2021 Let’s Get Out Art Festival / Kasteel Ooidonk & Hoeve / Ooidonk, BE PASS 2021 / Huise-Mullem-Wannegem-Lede, BE XL / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE Salon d’O’ / Thermae Palace / Ostend, BE
Ovidor / Avee Gallery / Kortrijk, BE Yellow Archangel: Perceiving Anomalies / General Practice / Lincoln, UK
2020 ARE(N)A / Kusseneers Gallery / Brussels, BE Spirit / RUIMTE P60 / Assen, NL Staycation / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE Salon des Artistes / Gevaertsdreef 01 / Ronse, BE Ontrafelingen / Curated by Parce Art Initiative / St-Amanduskapel, Ghent, BE Summer 2020 / Art Gallery De Wael 15 / Antwerp, BE Rooms / Group show curated by Subsidiary Projects / London, UK
2019 Foudroyé / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE RE-SEARCH / Rivoli Building / Brussels, BE Abstract Priceless Painted Thoughts / curated by Fred Michiels / Oude St-Martinuspastorie / Westmalle, BE Night Vision / CAS (Contemporary Art Platform) / Ostend, BE
2018 The Edge / Art Platform Zebrastraat / Ghent, BE Grote Prijs Ernest Albert 2018 / Cultuurcentrum / Mechelen, BE Kastelen & Collateral Events / Kastelenroute / Zottegem, BE Severity Of A Salty Surge / Barbé Urbain / Ghent, BE
2017 Muziekbos I / CC De Ververij / Ronse, BE Yügen #02 / curated by Jan Hoet Jr. / Ferdinand Lousbergskaai 21 / Ghent, BE (re)PUBLIEK / Kunst & Zwalm / Michelbeke, BE Pop-Up Exposition & Auction / Galerie D’Apostrof /Benefit Internet Auction – Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens / Deurle, BE Tien Om Te Zien / curated by Karel Thienpont / Gevaertsdreef.01 / Oudenaarde, BE A Lump In The Throat / occ Bossenaere – Poesthem / Etikhove (Maarkedal), BE
2016 Landscape Prize Michel Depypere / St-Michielskerk / Kuurne, BE
2015 Drawing Prize Ronse / CC De Ververij / Ronse, BE Art Prize for Abstract Painting / CC Zwaneberg / Heist-Op-Den-Berg, BE Red Cross Art Contest / TIO3 / Ronse, BE Kunst voor Nepal / Vooruit / Ghent, BE
2010-2013 << I N T E R L U D E (artistic time-out) >>
2010 Espace Ladda #6 / SHARE – St-Pietersnieuwstraat 21 / Ghent, BE Open Ateliers Nucleo vzw (ism Abattoir d’Amis) / Lindenlei / Ghent, BE
Laboratoires Garnis / CinePalace / Kortrijk, BE Art&Tea / Tom’s Factory / Anzegem, BE
2009 Drawing Prize Ronse / CC De Brouwerij / Ronse, BE Kortrijk Ingeblikt / Broelmuseum / Kortrijk, BE Abattoir d’Amis I & II – Oud slachthuis / Atelier Tibet / Ghent, BE
2008 Over The Hedge # 02 / Verbeke Foundation / Kemzeke, BE Expo Compagnie DeRover (art collective) / Ghent, BE Prize Frans Van Der Cammen / KK Soetendaele / Merchtem, BE Prijzen van Meise / GC De Muze / Meise, BE De Mens Art Prize / CC Zwaneberg / Heist-Op- Den-Berg, BE
2007 Over The Hedge # 01 / Academy of Fine Arts / Tian Jing, China Toonmoment / De Branderij / Antwerp, BE EXIT / Kunsttoren / Ghent, BE Knive2, Kunst Iuvennale / Koetsenhuis / Geraardsbergen, BE Graduates exposition / William Wauters Gallery / Oosteeklo, BE
2006 Toonmoment / Entrance hall Conservatorium / Ghent, BE
2005 Panorama project Ghent / central square “De Cirk” / ZebraStraat / Ghent, BE
Grote Prijs Ernest Albert – Honourable Mention (2018) Landscape Prize Michel Depypere – Third prize (2016) Drawing Prize Ronse – Honourable Mention (2015), Selection (2009, 2013) Art Prize for Abstract Painting – Selection (2015) Red Cross Art Contest – Selection (2015) Prize Frans Van Der Cammen – Prize for Young Talent (2008) De Prijzen van Meise – Nomination (2008) De Mens Art Prize – Selection (2008)
