Johan Van Mullem

Origin
16 October - 30 November 2013

Johan Van Mullem

Origin
16 October - 30 November 2013

Foreword
Text by Jessica Warren

Johan Van Mullems painted works in ink on board are deeply personal
creations that depict imagined portraits, figures, and characters from the
artists subconscious. In his body of work, Van Mullem explores the
evocative possibilities of ink, and its capacity for depth and meaning with
an impressive sense of honesty and sincerity. Richly coloured pigments
flow into and around each other, leaving wisps of smoke in place of brush
strokes, and bestowing the works with an anthropomorphic quality. The
materials appear to be reacting and interacting with each other long after the
artists brush has been removed. It is this combination of a unique approach
to medium and a conscious method of painting that recasts Van Mullems
portraits as otherworldly apparitions. While these figurative transmutations
appear throughout Van Mullems oeuvre, it is only with Origin that we are
finally presented with the most stripped-back version of his artistic vision.
The works on show are best described as a prequel to Van Mullems
earlier series, Movements of the Soul (2011-2012). Where older works depicted
figures in a more traditional sense - still dream-like and ephemeral, yet
retaining a certain tangibility - these new paintings explore the concept of
the beginning in the most literal sense. As a result, we see the introduction
of figures with multiple faces, where atoms replace features, and sweeping
brushstrokes give way to profiles that appear to be infinitely moving. The
individual lines and strokes that make up these figures move towards
abstraction not in the sense of nothingness, but rather in the sense that the
apparent deconstruction of these figures symbolizes the very molecules that
make them up and allow them to exist. Van Mullems focus on movement
is best explained by his desire to connect the past with the future as a way
of illustrating the perpetual force of energy that is so crucial to his painted
subjects.

In addition, Van Mullems exploration of light, form, and colour in this

series is far more theoretical and in depth than what we have previously
seen. The prevalence of the colour purple is one such element that is
intrinsically tied to Van Mullems concept of creation. Van Mullem sees
purple as the perfect summation of evolution, infinite consciousness, and
of spiritual understanding for him, the three most crucial aspects of his
concept of origin. We also see the introduction of titles in these new
works, a departure from the previous series where all pieces were Sans
Titre. This perhaps indicates the more interactive or more informative role
that the artist as creator may play in this series. All invented subjects from
the artists psyche, with Origin it is almost as if we are granted unrestricted
access into Van Mullems artistic vision John Malkovich style.
While still retaining elements of Van Mullems traditional style a bold
handling of paint, fluid brush strokes, and haunting figures these new
pieces are bursting with a wider range of colour and are much more abstract
than what we have seen before. However, what remains the same is Van
Mullems ability to lead us into a world that is entirely his own creation.
Johan Van Mullem, Origin will be on show at Hus Gallery, 10 Hanover
Sreet, W1S 1YE, London from 16 October through 30 November.

SANS TITRE (THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD)

Ink on board
140cm x 120cm, 2013
VMULJ-0515

SANS TITRE
Mixed media on board
140cm x 180cm, 2013
VMULJ-0530

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
180cm x 140cm, 2013
VMULJ-0528

SANS TITRE
Mixed media on board
140cm x 180cm, 2013
VMULJ-0634

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
140cm x 100cm, 2013
VMULJ-0674

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
100cm x 70cm, 2013
VMULJ-0606

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
100cm x 70cm, 2013
VMULJ-0608

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
200cm x 140cm, 2013
VMULJ-0650

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0587

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
100cm x 140cm, 2013
VMULJ-0631

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
140cm x 100cm, 2013
VMULJ-0626

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
140cm x 100cm, 2013
VMULJ-0622

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
140cm x 100cm, 2013
VMULJ-0628

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0548

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0550

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0581

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0551

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0572

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0553

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
011331

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
011358

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0540

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
60cm x 40cm, 2013
VMULJ-0656

SANS TITRE
Ink on board
Each 30cm x 20cm, 2013
VMULJ-0661, VMULJ-0658, VMULJ-0660, VMULJ-0659

Biography
1959
Born in Isiro, Democratic
Republic of the Congo

1978-1985
lInstitut Suprieur
dArchitecture

1990-1991
Ecole des Arts dIxelles,
section Gravure, atelier de
Ccile Massart et Anne Kellens

2011

SEM-ART Gallery, Monaco

Arthus Gallery, Brussels,

Belgium

2012

2012

Hus Gallery,
Gstaad, Switzerland

Movements of the Soul,

Hus Gallery & Andipa Gallery,
London

GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2010
Galerie 29, Belgium
Art Gallery 826,
Knokke, Belgium

SOLO EXHIBITONS
2010

t Contemporain
Dracenois, France

Chapelle de Boondael,
Brussels, Belgium

Lineart Gand, Belgium

Kunstgalerij Anarto,
Belgium

2011
Hus Gallery &

For more information please contact info@husgalleries.com

WWW.HUSGALLERIES.COM
Photography by Fabienne Cresens (studio shots) and Vincent Everarts
Design by Red Giant rglondon.co.uk