We recently launched a Spring Flash Sale entitled “In Spring Comes Rebirth.” It is the perfect occasion to highlight five artists, diving into their life story and exploring their artistic world.
Vanessa Van Meerhaeghe : A whimsical world
Vanessa Van Meerhaeghe is a Belgian painter and draftsman. Her work is very much influenced by contemporary fashion designers and art. At a young age, she took an interest in fashion, and studied fashion design at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent. Featuring bright colors and bold patterns, her art is joyful and a perfect ode to nature. Her latest group exhibition was at the Affordable Art Fair Brussels, in September 2021, with SINGULART.
In her work, the subjects are pulled out of their original context and put in a whimsical, colorful world. The artist tries to create a “déjà-vu” effect, adding to the surreal atmosphere of the paintings. Furthermore, her work is an autobiography, in a way, as it features places she has visited or wants to visit, things she has done or wants to do… The art is inspired by her personal life, but she does not depict herself in the paintings.
When it comes to her creative process, the artist uses an illustrative style, and mostly acrylic paint. Sometimes, she will start with a drawing or watercolor painting on paper. If she likes the result, she will then make a larger acrylic version of it. She loves experimenting with different techniques and trying new things on her artistic journey.
Alejos : A lover of nature
Alejos Lorenzo is a Spanish artist born in 1975 in Ferrol, A Coruña. Although he was attracted to art from a very young age, first painting at five years old, he first tried a career in Technical Architecture and subsequently did a postgraduate degree in Interior Design. Before turning professionally to painting, he worked in several architecture studios, but left it all for painting. He realized that art was his true calling, and thus an incredible artist was born.
At first, Alejos Lorenzo drew with pencil, charcoal and pastel, starting with oil paints when he was 18 years old. Years later, he took a turn in his pictorial style, switching from oil to acrylics. This new style shows the influence of artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Hockney and Matisse. Music also exerts a great influence on his work, and many paintings have song titles.
With time, nature became the main focus of his work, and he has stated that “that there is nothing better than transmitting the love I feel for nature.” In order to depict his love for life, nature, and his family, he uses simple shapes and vivid colors.
Effat Pourhasani : Spontaneous abstraction
Effat Pourhasani is an Iranian artist born in 1981 in Tabriz. She has been based in Istanbul, Turkey, since 2014. She has a Master of Fine Arts in painting. Her latest exhibition was the 2020 International multidisciplinary online exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey.
The inspiration for her work comes from nature and Persian culture, which believes that images of trees symbolize freedom and integrity. It was thought that the essence of the tree carries truthfulness, so anyone who breathed in the scent of the tree could not be deceitful in its presence. Deeply connected to nature, the artist depicts deformed, twisted trees in her paintings as a way to bring awareness to climate change and the polluting impact humans have on the environment. She is not interested in mimicking nature, but rather in combining the visible exterior with the inner world of nature, leading towards abstraction.
Her creative process is completely spontaneous. She combines colors and forms, breaking boundaries and creating unity. Every piece is built up with several layers of acrylic colors, and sometimes she lets some layers remain up to the final stage, some layers glazing within multiple transparent layers of colors.
TAMHUY : Art as a spiritual experience
Born in 1990, TAMHUY is a Vietnamese artist. Originally from Hanoi, he is now based in Paris. Deeply passionate about art, he graduated with a degree in painting from the Fine Arts School of Versailles in 2017. His latest solo exhibition was “Gestural Abstraction” at the BAM Gallery in Toulouse, France, in 2021.
His artworks are influenced by Buddhist philosophy, which includes the intrinsic concepts of karma, birth, death, and rebirth. For him, the artistic process is part of meditation, he listens inwardly then expresses himself through colors and musical brush strokes, which can be likened to gestural abstraction. He endeavors to create engaging pieces that are both present and absent at the same time.
Zi Ling : Surrealism in watercolor
Born in 1985 in Huangshan, China, Zi Ling is a visual artist and a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolors. She is currently based in London.
Zi is the daughter of the Chinese painter Huitao Ling, a pioneer of the 85 New Wave Movement, who taught her how to draw at four years old. She then studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, China, where she graduated with a BA in Fine Arts. She moved to London to pursue further study, achieving her MA in Fine Arts with Distinction at the Chelsea College of Arts in 2013. Her first watercolor portraits were inspired by Dumas and Francis Bacon.
The artist works in a variety of media, experimenting with watercolor painting, etching, and short films. Her principal focus remains her distinctive watercolor portraits and surreal drawings, which are characterized by their bold and vibrant colors. Zi takes inspiration from surrealist poetry, music and photography; her interest is in depicting human nature and relationships.
