To Make Meringue, You Must Beat The Egg

ctive for some thirty years as a painter, Werner Mannaers (b.1954, Schoten, Belgium) is a typical example of the artist whose life and being are felt in every fiber of the canvas or paper.

Active for some thirty years as a painter, Werner Mannaers (b.1954, Schoten, Belgium) is a typical example of the artist whose life and being are felt in every fiber of the canvas or paper.

Indeed, Mannaers' work is not always easily accessible. His numerous paintings reflect a genuine 'sampling' mentality, in which the artist freely uses philosophical texts and quotations, coupling them with quotes from the works of major artists of the 20^th century.

Desperately humorous

However, it doesn't stop at mere quoting. Each work of his 'art-historical' painting style is uniquely infused with an amalgam of references from his personal life - as in a diary, Mannaers digests the emotions of the day in his drawings. This gives the paintings a strong sense of multilayeredness.

Through a clear use of color, and regular references to elements from popular culture, the apparent thematic difficulty is infused with a strong, relativizing humor. Mannaers' paintings are, in a way, 'desperately humorous,' effortlessly intertwining existential questions with graceful lightness, all within an ever-changing painting style.

To Make Meringue, You Must Beat The Egg

Mannaers’ first solo exhibition at Almine Rech Brussels will be on view from March 7 to April 13. To get to know the artist, may we warmly suggest reading one of the books on Mannaers’ work. 'We are not talking about the Sex Pistols', for example, which contains a series of 97 compositions with flowers, and fits perfectly within the ever-evolving body of work of the intuitive artist that is Werner Mannaers.