Artist Emmanuelle Castellan’s textural takeover in Brussels

For curator Joël Riff, contemporary art is a celebration of diverse talent, a philosophy he indulges in his work for La Verrière gallery in Brussels. Working with the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Riff invites artists from an eclectic collection of mediums, in visual, decorative and applied arts, to present their works for the first time in Belgium.

‘My job as a curator is to show, to seek out the essence of a work to its fullest,’ says Riff, who, for his latest exhibition, ‘Spektrum’, has enjoyed working with French-born, Berlin-based artist Emmanuelle Castellan. ‘When you enter the space, you can feel the playfulness that Emmanuelle Castellan and the [other featured] artists allowed us – there is so much experimentation.’

Emmanuelle Castellan in ‘Spektrum’ at La Verrière

Castellan’s colourful work fills both the walls and the floors of the gallery. Cast in sweet sorbet shades, the pastel hues belie a depth and textural play. In some pieces, the work has been slashed, a gaping line of paint or negative space literally opening up the painting to a new, sharper interpretation.

‘The way these cuts are made, and the way the brush goes over so you're always aware that it's the brush of the painting – it's not hidden behind the base – it is very sophisticated,’ Riff adds.

The works take over the gallery space: refusing to stay confined in the frames, they leak over the walls and bleed onto the floor in a merging of shadows, lines, colours and dimensions.

The artists Riff has selected to show alongside Castellan – Norbert Schwontkowski, Walter Swennen, Johannes Nagel, Dagobert Peche and Muriel Pic – build on both this tangible materiality and a nod to their shared Germanic roots.

‘Spektrum’, with Emmanuelle Castellan, is at La Verrière gallery with Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, in Brussels until 27 July 2024

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