- fragments and collected instants -
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. The fragile works seem to feed on romanticism as well as minimalism. It shows a sense of great tenderness and sensuality but also of apprehension. Of a slight fear to possibly lose something.
The graduate from the royal academy of Fine Arts, fulltime fashion designer and visual artist puts his identity, personality, personal experiences and dreams first in his collages. This intimate work appeals to universal values and feelings, despite its highly personal nature. Landscapes and male figures are recurring themes. Not surprisingly as during his childhood Gert struggled with his sexuality and found protection and security in nature where seclusion and daydreaming allowed him to escape from reality.
From this body of work speaks a fascination with time. Motmans’ pictures express a desire for another world. A longing for familiarity and nostalgia. At the same time his images seem to embrace a threatening, futuristic vision. As if Marcel Proust glances at Henry David Thoreau while a young Brian Eno watches cheerfully and provides the scene with soft rustling sounds.
- Ive Stevenheydens -
all pictures © Gert Motmans © francis studio - no reproduction w/o prior consent