Conversation

Pieter Vermeersch: ‘I’m a hyperrealistic painter of abstraction’
Sponsored | Perrotin

In Conversation with
Paul Laster
New York, 16 January 2025

Pieter Vermeersch. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli.

Pieter Vermeersch: ‘I’m a hyperrealistic painter of abstraction’

Pieter Vermeersch. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli.

On the occasion of his enigmatically titled solo exhibition, (((()))), at Perrotin New York, Pieter Vermeersch talks to Paul Laster about depicting abstraction, photography as an ontology, and the mineralisation of time in painting.

Pieter Vermeersch creates abstract paintings and installations that explore space, time, and matter. His primary concerns for the past 25 years have been with material experimentation, incorporating elements of photography, printmaking, and architecture into his work.

Vermeersch was born in 1973 in Kortrijk, Belgium, to a family of artists, the son of a painter and the grandson of a sculptor. He trained at Ghent's Higher Institute for Visual Arts, later earning a post-graduate degree from the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp in 2001. Initially, the artist painted realistic images based on appropriated visuals from mass media, then developed a fascination with photographic images with the rise of Polaroid film in the early 2000s. Taking photos of cloudless skies and provoked accidents with a point-and-shoot camera, Vermeersch used them as the basis of his gradient canvases and wall paintings. Photographic technology also inspired him to apply a measured approach to painting, calculating the area to be painted and the appropriate colour and white paint ratio, while breaking his painting process down into intervals for each section of a gradation in a canvas. He views the resulting works as portrayals of reality that capture time through abstraction and colour.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2014). Oil on marble. 76 x 56 cm.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2014). Oil on marble. 76 x 56 cm. ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin.

In 2017, upon moving to Turin to explore the Arte Povera movement, Vermeersch began experimenting with painting on different surfaces such as marble and other precious stones. The geological aspects of these ancient materials unlocked a cosmic perspective on his art. By painting a monochromatic section of a marble disc or the collaged surface of mixed marble pieces, he connects the past—through the metamorphism of the stones—with the present while painting away substance. His silkscreened marble and agate works, which are imprinted with photographic reproductions of their surfaces, dematerialise matter.

Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025).

Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025). ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin.

Featuring nearly 30 new, untitled paintings, (((()))) is an exhibition of conceptual mirroring. In our conversation, which took place in December last year, Vermeersch explained that the exhibition title is inspired by the band Sunn O))), whose name includes 'the parentheses [that] are repeated forms, but the content within them means nothing.' '(((())))' is similarly a repetition, as well as a mirroring of parentheses.

The mirroring effect reoccurs throughout the works in the exhibition, which are primarily presented in series or pairs. The small stone paintings adhere to this mode of presentation, with several of his silkscreened agate works appearing side by side or opposite one another in unglazed frames. In one installation, a circular marble montage has been placed atop a large painting on multiple canvas panels. Its mirroring partner consists of a medium-sized radiant canvas mounted on the surface of another multi-paneled painting. But there is also an exception: breaking the mirroring mode is an irregular slab of untouched marble, positioned before a large radiating canvas, that proclaims—like Vermeersch himself—an individual identity in the gallery.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Oil on marble stones. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025).

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Oil on marble stones. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025). ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli.

PLWhen you participated in Perrotin's The Love of Art podcast in 2023, you discussed the life and work of Andy Warhol. Could you briefly share how this American pop artist has influenced you?

PVIt was his attitude and objectivity, the non-subjective kind of approach. I wondered how he approached all his interests, not only painting. I was really into his early experimental films. It's all about looking at something, observing it, and then looking again at the world, gazing once more at what is in front of you for an extended period until that thing transforms or starts to hold a different meaning concerning yourself. His new industrial reproduction techniques and innovative methods to shift away from personal gestures fascinate me. The repetition evoked by these techniques might still resonate in my earlier work.

PLHow does your work differ from colour field and minimalist painting?

PVI always try to explain it like this: Rothko created beautiful and powerful paintings—deep and intense works—by using colour as a medium and material. In my practice, I represent it. That's the difference. You might perceive something similar, but there is a fundamental difference. Minimalism employs reduction to attain its goal: the monochrome. You might say I'm reintroducing the monochrome through representation and inflating it once again. Every piece I create, every painting I produce, has an abstract photographic source. I'm a hyperrealistic painter of abstraction, and that's a significant distinction.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2010). Oil on Lambda print. 83.5 x 62 cm.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2010). Oil on Lambda print. 83.5 x 62 cm. ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin.

PLWhat kind of art were you making when you completed your graduate studies in Antwerp, and how has it since evolved?

PVBefore attending the Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp, a postgraduate program, I studied painting at St. Lucas Academy in Ghent, where I explored realism and sought to tackle it. So I was painting from pictures that I found in magazines. Nowadays, I paint from proper photographs, but back then, my sources included all kinds of media, even television. But the switch occurred at the Higher Institute, bringing the image into another dimension. I embraced photography more as an ontology than, as a result, a picture. So, I began working on how photography interacts with time. That's how I ultimately arrived at the wall paintings. The wall paintings serve as a form of time capture. To clarify, I always return to Polaroids, analogue photography, and the instant emergence of the image. In the wall paintings, all those fleeting moments are depicted frozen, if you will, horizontally. We don't perceive the development of an image here; instead, what emerges is an abstraction—its colour. That marked a significant shift for me during that period.

Pieter Vermeersch, 5 exhibition models II (2001). Maquette and video. 240 x 70 x 70 cm. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, XIX in MMI in HISK. Expositie 'Laureaten', HISK, Antwerp, Belgium (2001).

Pieter Vermeersch, 5 exhibition models II (2001). Maquette and video. 240 x 70 x 70 cm. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, XIX in MMI in HISK. Expositie 'Laureaten', HISK, Antwerp, Belgium (2001). Courtesy the artist.

In 2001, I had an exhibition featuring maquettes that included many ideas I could never execute because they would require too much time. During that year, I focused on developing these ideas in maquette form, and the exhibition ended up showcasing all of those maquettes. In one of the maquettes featuring wall paintings, I began filming with a small camera displayed on a monitor in the space. The footage showcased the immersive quality these wall paintings had in relation to the architecture. When you step away from the canvas, I am intrigued by architecture as a second framework. I later recognised that my interest was mainly in exploring the harsh physical boundaries of space. The wall paintings transition from white to colour, creating an illusion of depth, similar to an illusory space within a physical setting. Combining them meant merging them and somehow opening up new possibilities.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Oil on marble stones.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Oil on marble stones. ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli.

PLWhat led you to paint on materials other than canvas, such as marble?

PVWhile developing the wall paintings, I suddenly needed to introduce a tangible element to confront them. I wanted to return the paintings to the 'here and now.' At that time, I was sleeping next to a marble chimney. You could see the different geological periods and cycles of time in a single slab. I found it fascinating. Observing it repeatedly, I realised that I was looking at something very related to the paintings I was creating, yet it had nothing to do with illusion. I was gazing at matter, a mineralisation of time and space beyond our perception—a cosmic and geological time. Marble is not an illusion but can evoke that perception because it's challenging to grasp. It's tangible, yet in another way, it isn't. One day, I walked into a marble stone company, and everything unfolded in my mind. I began to make minor brush marks on the marble. And that's how it all began.

These works embody the energy of transformation. They are enlarged and stretched; in other words, they are time-warped through representation.

PLWhat about petrified wood? How did you start working on this unusual material?

PVIt was accidental. I know a person who is an authority on ancient marble. He has access to all kinds of unusual or rare marble stocks. One day, he came to me with this material. He said, 'Pieter, I found this. Are you interested?' I asked, 'What is this? I've never seen it before.' He replied, 'Yes, it's very unusual. It's petrified wood cut vertically, not horizontally.' I researched it further and became fascinated by its transformation from wood to stone. The wood particles are still present, but the cells have been calcified. I found a parallel with the paintings; everything appears to be in transition when you stand before them. There's no place where a colour can be precisely identified, and it changes in all directions, even when we think it's frozen in time. My work involves capturing a moment in time, which is then rereleased.

Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025).

Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025). ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin.

PLDo you design your exhibitions to be art installations or Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art?

PVI understand. Sometimes I say, now I'm going to create a simple exhibition. I hang the artwork, and that's it. However, I can never settle for that kind of idea. It doesn't work for me, but I'd love to be able to once. I view the exhibition scenography as a bridge to content; it's a curatorial endeavour for me, making connections, using contrasts, and combining them so there's a deeper meaning between the works. This meaning contributes to the overall atmosphere of the exhibition. Of course, we have individual works which carry their significance. I also appreciate the notion of the micro and the macro. In the exhibition at Perrotin, you can sense this in the idea of gravity and its loss or the spatial strategies between the material and the immaterial. Ideally, these dynamics become second nature.

PLHow are you using the architecture of Perrotin New York's top floor space in this exhibition?

PVI ended up utilising its symmetry. I usually avoid that. I steer clear of symmetry, but in this case, I embraced it. Ultimately, it felt right to use the space this way. That's the nature of spaces sometimes. They direct you to places you would never consider.

I believe that mirrors offer the clearest reflection of our reality. They provide an instant glimpse into time.

PLThis exhibition features two enormous paintings enlarged from doodles, magnified to the point that they appear to be mere screen dots. What are you attempting to convey through these immersive works?

PVFor a long time, I have wanted to dive deeper into my interest in pure abstraction. For me, the brushstrokes on marble represented total liberation in my approach to art. In the past, my paintings were created meticulously, where everything was controlled and highly rational. This contrasting method of painting felt liberating and joyful. Mistakes were not an issue; you simply erased them and started again. It's essential to maintain a balance between the controlled and the unpredictable. I embraced that unpredictability and aimed to explore it further. One day, I began creating small watercolour sketches in the studio. I made many quickly and freely, but only two were interesting or usable. Sometimes, you need to sit with ideas, discovering their relevance later. That moment occurred while I was preparing for the Perrotin show. These works embody the energy of transformation. They are enlarged and stretched; in other words, they are time-warped through representation.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Silk screen print on agate. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025).

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Silk screen print on agate. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025). ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli.

PLThere is a sense of mirroring in the two large paintings, the marble works, and the agate pieces. The mirroring occurs from top to bottom in these works, right?

PVYes. There's a mirroring effect. I have frequently employed the concept of mirroring in my installations. I believe that mirrors offer the clearest reflection of our reality. They provide an instant glimpse into time. Photography captures a moment from the past, while mirrors reflect the present, showcasing a dynamic version of now. For me, this is the most acute representation, but in the paintings, it's the concept of the mirror or mirroring those who are present.

PLThere are no actual mirrors, but the mirror symbolises the duality within the work, the representation and abstraction, the doubling of imagery, a parallel universe, and all these types of things.

PVOf course, that's the approach.

Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025).

Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025). ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin.

PLAre they based on a single photograph that is developed, one after the other, within the canvases of what came before? Or are they individual paintings based on separate subjects, distinct photographs, or unique thoughts?

PVEach painting is derived from a distinct photograph.

PLThe whole series or each painting?

PVEach painting has its photograph. Some are only slightly different. So it is essentially the same idea, resonating in different ways. I've always enjoyed this kind of repetition, which may stem from representation techniques and the slow evolution of realities over time. These paintings offer multiple entry points, but I view them as resonating energies embracing their destiny.

PLWhat's your goal when you collage pieces of marble and paint together?

PVFor me, it's more about exploring the idea of a geological dimension. It involves stratifications, layers of time, geological cycles, and tectonic plates. The materiality is organised almost like a sculpture, and I responded to this by painting its materiality away, liberating its gravity, if you will.

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Silk screen print on agate. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025).

Pieter Vermeersch, Untitled (2024). Silk screen print on agate. Exhibition view: Pieter Vermeersch, (((()))), Perrotin, New York (11 January–19 February 2025). ©Pieter Vermeersch / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2024. Courtesy the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli.

PLWhy do you silkscreen the surface of agate stones rather than painting them?

PVFirst, using the silkscreen technique in a specific way, I can bridge a vast gap between something interior, intimate, natural, like agate, and something industrial. Additionally, I can delve deeper into dematerialisation with this method.

There is a fascinating process in reproducing reality where we first need to break it down and divide it to recreate or transport it. In silkscreen, we employ the grid of CMYK; in the digital realm, we use the binary system. Long before that, we divided time and space to measure them.

In these works, a piece of agate represents itself. That piece is dematerialised through its image. From a distance, everything visually blends together, but as you get closer, the image becomes increasingly fragmented, causing it to disappear.

PLIs your work becoming more cosmological?

PVIt might be, but I hope this exhibition captures the deeper nature of things. —[O]

Pieter Vermeersch's (((()))) continues at Perrotin New York until 19 February 2025.
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Follow Pieter Vermeersch
Stay ahead.
Receive updates on new artworks,
exhibitions and articles.
Your personal data is held in accordance with our privacy policy.
Follow
Do you have an Ocula account?
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Get Access
Join Ocula to request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Do you have an Ocula account? Login
What best describes your interest in art?

Subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming exhibitions, available works, events and more.
By clicking Sign Up or Continue with Facebook or Google, you agree to Ocula's Terms & Conditions. Your personal data is held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for joining us. Just one more thing...
Soon you will receive an email asking you to complete registration. If you do not receive it then you can check and edit the email address you entered.
Close
Thank you for joining us.
You can now request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Close
Welcome back to Ocula
Enter your email address and password below to login.
Reset Password
Enter your email address to receive a password reset link.
Reset Link Sent
We have sent you an email containing a link to reset your password. Simply click the link and enter your new password to complete this process.
Login