Marc Van Cauwenbergh

His story

Marc Van Cauwenbergh is a Belgian-American artist who has lived and worked in New York since 1994.

Marc Van Cauwenbergh, was one of the artists presented at the Radial Gallery inaugural exhibition in 2010.

He has exhibited internationally since 1984. His work is in private, public and corporate collections such as the Collection of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (NY), Centre de la Gravure et de l’Image Imprimée (La Louvière), Pratt Institute (Brooklyn), EBES (Ghent) and St-Lucas (Ghent)…

In his recent paintings Marc Van Cauwenbergh explores the increasing fragmentation of human identity and communication within the chaos of the contemporary, urban world; the faceted emotions of physical and psychological relationships. The canvases are a theatrical space, onto which one can project life with its ever-changing combinations of people and environments.

In these works strokes of paint become details of larger, unseen forms in unseen environments. Whole sensual, organic shapes, applied in fluid, dynamic layers of oil paint on raw Belgian linen, are dissected to a more intimate level. Within the space, a balance is created between these shapes that seem to be floating or quietly suspended in time, other areas emphasize slow transitions or brusk shifts. Their specific colors connect, blend or simply pass by.

Creation inspiration

Colorfield painting
In the footsteps of Sam Francis, Frank Stella and Robert Motherwell,
artists of the American “Colorfield painting” movement,
Marc Van Cauwenbergh uses colour and gesture to create his works, which consist of fine washes of oil paint applied directly to the raw linen canvas.His traces, whose rhythm varies, are assembled and superimposed until they compose architectures and undefined landscapes, which we perceive or wish we could see
as if in motion.

Immersed in the bustling landscape of New York, the city he calls home, Marc draws copious inspiration from the vibrant urban surroundings. Each artwork becomes a faithful reflection of the city’s architectural grandeur, an ode to its majestic structures and pulsating rhythm. With exceptional skill and sensitivity, Marc van Cauwenbergh captures the symbiosis between humanity and concrete, dreams and sky-scraping edifices. His profound interest in architecture is vividly evident in his creations, transforming each canvas into an open window to the city that never sleeps.