The painting wants to be a painting! For almost twenty years this is Wannes Lecompte’s credo, celebrating the act of painting itself. And how he does! His oil on canvas is more than composition of color, texture and rhythm. Lecompte convoking and provoking chance, in a voluntary slow process, waits in front of empty canvas until the painting presents itself. His interlacing brushstrokes mingle, one color over the other, packed together and surrounded by the white emptiness of the canvas.
Without trying to present a figure, Lecompte his scriptural paintings reveal slowly their poetic composition. They invite us to feel their unique rhythm. The painter as a musician. He plays the drums and he composes playful and colourful notes.
Lecompte’s works show an intensity of the instant, that one unique moment, simultaneously slowing down and revealing the ‘drums’ of our times. These visual compositions of Wannes Lecompte show arrangements of density enforced by the emptiness around, compositions as well of sonorities as it is of silences.
-Text: Eva Steynen-
°1979 (B), lives and works in Brussels
EDUCATION
– St Lucas Hogeschool, Antwerp (BE), Master Degree Pictorial art (painting), 2003-2005
– Kunsthochsüle Weissensee, Berlin (DE), Malerei, 2003
– St Lucas Hogeschool, Ghent (BE), Pictorial art (painting), 2001-2003
2024
– ‘tiptoe’ with Ken’ichiro Taniguchi, Eva Steynen Gallery, Antwerp (B)
2022
– ‘as Assilver’, Sylvester Gallery, Ghent (B)
– duo show with Riette Wanders, festival ubbhill Nijmegen, Singularartgallery Nijmegen (NL)
– ‘7 different pieces’, Chapel Grand- Hospice, Brussels (B)
2021
– ‘afbeelding verwerken’, duo with Filip Verreyke, D’Apostrof, Deinze (B)
2020
– ‘richtuigen’, ‘kunst kan’ Amsterdam (NL)
2019
– ‘Wanneer je het aanduidt, is het weg’, Slac Leuven (B)
– ‘Welletjes en nietjes’, De factory- OPEK Leuven (B)
2018
– solo presentation ‘kunst in huis’, Westrand Dilbeek (B)
2017
– ‘Gobez’, CRAC Brussels (B)
– ‘Curiosity’ a window with a vision’, Heesshagestraat 14, Ghent ( B)
– ‘deverte’, old church, St. Agatha Berchem, Brussels (B)
2016
– Johan Gelper, Wannes Lecompte, DMW Artspace, Antwerp (B)
2015
– ‘in situ- @ your place”, Bouwerij, Ternat (B)
2013
– ‘Figure-toi’, Gallery Mie Lefever, Destelbergen/ Ghent (B)
2012
– ‘Over wat gaat het weer?’, Secret Kitchen, Temse (B)
– ‘Chançard Bonnard’, Gallery D’apostrofe, Deinze (B)
2010
– ‘De wijze en het beeld’, MX7 Gallery, Antwerp (B)
– ‘Voor de drager’, Gallery Mie Lefever, Destelbergen/Gent (B)
– Wannes Lecompte, CIAP, Hasselt (B)
2008
– Wannes Lecompte, Secondroom, Brussels (B)
– Gallery Mie Lefever,Destelbergen/Ghent (B)
2007
– Pocketroom, Antwerp (B)
– SecondRoom, Brussels (B)
– ‘Boundaries’, duo exhibition with Tillamook CheddarTotal artspace, Berlin (D)
2003
– ‘Malerei 2003 – Malerei und Zeichnung’, Kunsthochschüle, Berlin (D)
2023
– ‘Resonances’, Belgian Gallery Brussels (B)
– ’10 years: what a surprice: Part 1′, Eva Steynen Gallery, Antwerp (B)
– ”Run Paint Run Run’, Bart Vandevijvere, Bart Maris, Wannes Lecompte, Joachim Devillé, 4n20, Kortrijk (B)
– Art Rotterdam, Alice Janne, Johannes Ulrich Kubiak, Benoît Felix, Eva Steynen Gallery (B)
2022
– Art Rotterdam, Johannes Ulrich Kubiak, Christine Clinckx, Jan Verbruggen, Robert Soroko, Wannes Lecompte, Eva Steynen Gallery, Rotterdam (NL)
– Positions Berlin, Johannes Ulrich Kubiak, Christine Clinckx,Robert Soroko, Wannes Lecompte, Eva Steynen Gallery, Berlin (D)
– krasj 6, curated by Ante Timmermans, Ninove (B)
– Wals13, with Henk Delabie, Wannes Lecompte, Denitsa Todorova, Stefaan Vermuyten, Herzele (B)
– Fik Van Gestel invites Stefan Peters, Michaël De Kok, Wannes Lecompte, Stefaan Vermuyten, Colin Waeghe, Zwart Huis-Brussels (B)
2019
– Exhibition curated by Emiel Van der Pol, Singular Art, Nijmegen (NL)
2018
– #9 Arture, curated by Sven Vanderstichelen, De Pastorie Herzele (BE)
2017
– ‘Gestalt, PAK, Gistel (BE)
– ‘Un espacio privilegiado para un ritual contemporàneo’, La Laguna, Tenerife (ES)
2016
– ‘Blast’, Venetiaanse gaanderijen, Oostende (B)
– ‘verwant’, galerie D’apostrof, Meigem (B)
2015
– ‘Landschap als herinnering’, Villa De Olmen, Wieze (B)
– ‘in de kantfabriek’, with Bela Silva, Benoit Van Innis, Guy Rombouts, Willy De Sauter, kantfabriek, Vilvoorde (B)
– ‘A different dialogue’, PAK, Gistel (B)
2014
– ‘Zum Bleistift- Zeichnung, Gallery Inga Kondyne, Berlin (D)
– ‘Lecompte-Félix-Denys’, Gallery D’apostrof, Deinze (BE)
2013
– ‘Add One’, Secondroom, Antwerp (BE)
– ‘Factura’, CIAP, Hasselt (BE)
2013
– ‘About Waves_refiguratie’,G. Richter, D. Buren, R. De Keyser, W. Swennen, G. Baselitz, M.Lüpertz,…curated by Luk Lambrecht, CC Strombeek, Grimbergen (BE)
2012
– ‘Sans Gène’, Villa de Olmen,Wieze (BE)
– ‘Licht Farbe Linie / Light Color Line’, Berlin (DE)
2011
– ‘Pink is the most masculine colour’, MX7 Gallery, Antwerp (BE)
2009
– ‘A certain proposition’, Secondroom, Brussels (BE)
– ‘Ca bouge, het beweegt’, de markten, Brussels (BE)
– ‘Coup de Coeurs’ with J. Boudewijns, M. Couturier, L.Deleu,…Rossicontemporary, Brussels(BE)
– ‘Lucky Trapezium, four painters in good shape’, Rossicontemporary, Brussels (BE)
2007
– ‘FW: painting’, Cacaofabriek, Helmond (NL)
– ‘Pushing the canvas’, De garage, Mechelen (BE)
2006
– Berliner liste, Berlin (DE)
– Untitled, Anspach Center, Brussels (BE)
2005
– Untitled, Hoet BekaertBeaulieu gallery, Ghent (BE)
– ‘Le sujet n’est que manteau’ with R. Vandevelde, E. De Meutter,…, Oud badhuis, Antwerp (BE)
2004
– ‘bOOd’, Rudolfhalle, Berlin (DE)
W. Elias. Omnia Factura Bona. CIAP, Factura 2013
H. Theys. Focus. Een blik op 100 kunstenaars. Snoeck Publishers, 2012
H. Theys. Over vorm. Flower Power Deel 2 1/2. Tornado editions, 2e herziene druk, 2010
