BASE-ALPHA GALLERY

DENIE PUT — DENIED REALITY

20.10.2017 - 02.12.2017

In 2014, Denie Put (°1991) graduated as a master in painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.

Denied Reality is the first solo exhibition in the Base-Alpha Gallery by the young Antwerp painter.

At first glance, Denie Put's colorful and dynamic paintings only appear abstract. Dominant lilac, fluorescent, garish pink, pastel green and bright blue are alternately placed on the canvas by Put in geometric or organic shapes. By consistently varying techniques, he tries to avoid conventional use of paint. It results in a variety of brush strokes, textures and patterns. Combined with the abundant use of color,

an exuberant, sharp and wry form language is created. Those who dwell on the lively scenes of Put can detect corals, landscapes with waterfalls, fountains and rock formations. A pair of bright yellow eyes, a hare standing in the corner as a waiter, a staircase, tears and drops are figurative elements that Put deliberately placed between the predominantly abstract forms.

Denie Put creates a fictional world in which he was inspired by, among others, the Fauvists, Cubists, Surrealists and Japanese prints.

His current working environment, a former sculptor's studio completely occupied with sculptures, is also a strong influencing factor. Put tries to avoid everyday reality and mixes various impulses in an emotional process with great attention to coincidence and experiment. Despite the fact that he mainly starts from sketches, the end results are rarely similar to his original intentions.

With the monochrome backgrounds, the variety of techniques, the strange perspective or even the lack thereof, Put models monumental sculptures in the middle of his canvas. For example, the series of paintings shown in 'Denied Reality' almost look like a catchy and stubborn imaginary sculpture garden.

The series of works on glass, the titles of which always begin with Rare Kwast, suggest that Put himself is sometimes startled by the peculiar antics he pulls out on any medium that crosses his path.