Gert

Motmans

There is a duality present in Gert Motmans' work. His delicate, romantic collages are created with a sense of melancholy and fragility. The recurring motifs of landscapes and male figures reflect his intimate introspections. His use of abstraction combined with a minimalistic approach creates a sense of familiarity. This body of work is deeply personal, yet it appeals to universal values and emotions.

How often do we check our smartphones? How many selfies do we take or share daily? Did we all become little more than smombies? In a digital era in which smartphones and social media rule, Gert Motmans photocollages are a welcome antithesis. Surely: his work soothes. Motmans images require attention. They invite the viewer to stroll, wander, get lost or even disappear in them. Gert Motmans is a craftsman. He often chooses to work with analog techniques and to develop his images in the darkroom. He works with materials such as handmade Japanese paper or weathered / yellowed papers he finds in vintage stocks. In this way he breathes new life into traditional techniques and old materials. In itself a very cherishing gesture. It seems as if the artist wants to protect things from the future. Fading, melancholy, nostalgia, fragility or darkness, but without being sombre? Duality is probably key in this still young body of work. Motmans balances between figurative and abstract, complexity and a – deceitful – simplicity.

Courtesy of Gert Motmans

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Gert Motmans was born in 1972 in Hasselt, Belgium. He is currently based in Antwerp, Belgium.