SOFACQ Gallery

In his paintings Ben Sledsens transforms daily life, literary characters, animal portraits and elements of (art)history into his own private utopia. His works often hide subtle links to each other and compositions recur between paintings and drawings, which only amplifies the works’ underlying ambiguous significance while he creates a bigger fictitious world.

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Central to the work of Sledsens is his profound understanding of painterly tradition. His palette of strong, vivid colors, high technical qualities and naïve perspective with references to a long tradition of painting ranging from Henri Matisse and Henri Rousseau to Pieter Bruegel the Elder, yet his works are part of a bigger poetic universe that is all his own. Sledsens invites us to consider the thoughts of the people, places and events that populate his vivid scenarios, whether they exist in private or public realms, in personal or shared experiences. His tempting contexts seduce by intertwining multiple narratives in a single work, making the viewing that much more entranced and involved. Sledsens translates his personal subject matter into poetic or romantic images, with an open beginning and ending, meant for interpretation by the spectator.

(courtesy of Tim Van Laere)

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Ben Sledsens’ work has been exhibited internationally at Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles; Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp; MoMu, Antwerp; and Extra City, Antwerp.

Ben Sledsens is represented by the following galleries; Tim Van Laere Gallery, Antwerp and Nino Mier Gallery, Los Angeles / Cologne