ARTIST STATEMENT
The relationship between perception and reality is elegantly expressed through the metaphor of how we see color. Through her paintings, Brussels-based artist Val Smets tunes into this real-yet-mystifying phenomenon, transforming her sensorial experiences into vibrant, immersive landscapes. Having initially focused on the painterly exploration of fungi as a recurring motif for these interrogations, her visual language has expanded into kaleidoscopic compositions which are at once psychedelic, gestural, and colorful.
Resisting confines of genre much like our mycelial neighbors seem to resist laws of nature, Smets slips fluidly between expressive brushstrokes and surreal symbolism, a reflection of time in the studio that is energetic and intimate. The result is an œuvre that is deeply subjective, unself-conscious, and open. Relying on an inner-directed range of references from naturalist philosophy and literature to Jungian psychoanalysis, she explores the mutual dependence of species, inviting viewers to question their place in the cosmic web and the relationship to the Self and Other. Her practice challenges traditional power dynamics both in subject matter and technique by playing with perspective and harmonizing convergent methods from color field painting and post-impressionism.
Favoring large formats and working without preparatory sketches, her paintings are the product of an intense psychological process. She often starts on the floor, using acrylic, oil stick, and wide brushes, painting from memory a synesthesia of sight, sound, and scent. Over time she has incorporated oil paint and stretched canvas in addition to acrylic and floating canvases, which were central to her practice from the start. Concurrently, her color palette has deepened since the fluorescent tones of Blue Brain and Living Riddles (2022). She also employs metal, polyurethane, and acrylic to produce whimsical structures invoking the surprising and ephemeral nature of fungi and other overlooked organisms.
Val Smets (b. 1991) holds a BF from La Cambre (ENSAV), Brussels, and an MFA in painting from Uniarts Helsinki. Her work has been exhibited in multiple solo and group shows in Brussels, Beijing, Graz, Vienna, Helsinki, Luxembourg, and Paris. She has completed residencies at Das Weisse Haus in Vienna; Styria in Graz; and Utö in the Aland Islands.
Dana Kuehr, 2023