Art piece of the month: January

Paul Drissen – Untitled (2003)
casein tempera on canvas

Since the early 1990s, Paul Drissen has been developing a cohesive body of work in which he explores the possibilities of abstract form. His work is influenced by modernist artists such as Rietveld, Lissitsky, Mondriaan and Malevich.

Light and space play an important role in his paintings. The ethereal quality of his work was clearly visible in the survey exhibition shown at Stadsgalerij Heerlen in 2005. That exhibition marked a turning point in his practice. Drissen had long been searching for ways to fix his paintings in space, for example by applying painted frames directly onto the walls surrounding the work.

He later shifted from paint to collage. This technique gave his work greater freedom and emphasised that it comes into being through others and through the reuse of existing sources of inspiration. Drissen does not see himself as the central creator, but as someone who consciously steps back. “It’s not about my ego, but about bringing the work of others to the foreground,” the artist explains.

This work can be seen until 1 March in the museum gallery at SCHUNCK Museum, as part of the exhibition Rooted in Change.