Pieter Vermeersch (b. 1973, Belgium)
Installation view, 2017

Vermeersch explores borders between representation and abstraction. In a way it is a meaningless sentence. There are no such borders. Whatever we perceive is always both – a sensory representation of the thing being perceived and abstraction in terms of our sensemaking and categorisation of it. And yet, it is a kind of fun though to think – where the border might be that triggers us assign the thing being perceived to the ‘representation’ or ‘abstraction’ box. I think, many of my works are playing with that imaginary border too, being vague with clues for which perspective to choose – is the piece a kind of WYSIWYG, or is it a metaphor or hidden message or expression of some particular thought or feeling…

I also like how Vermeersch blurs boundaries between painting, sculpture and architecture.