Els Ceulemans

Els Ceulemans (°1966) mainly focuses on paintings but also regularly delves into other techniques such as screen printing, drawings and installations. In her work, she shares a very plastic expression of thoughts, visions and emotions, characterised by her own visual world. She uses playful metaphors that quickly lead to recognition. But the unusual combination of images quickly turns that recognition into an intriguing sense of alienation: animals behaving like humans, people missing limbs or performing at least bizarre acts...

Suddenly we find ourselves in a triggering, surreal and sometimes grotesque scene in which all human logic is lost. The aesthetics, the interesting contrast of bright-sweet colours and greyish-brown tones drag us into the story. Somewhat distressed and uncomfortable, we can't help looking further and deepening our thoughts.

Els’ work is about the way people in society are treated (sometimes literally ground) in and through the system. Desire, cynical frustration and powerlessness as expressions of the impossibility of sharing life, of maintaining a balanced, harmonious relationship with our environment. This happens on a social, interpersonal and individual level. Man tries to somehow keep the show going, without losing himself.

And yet this does not result in dark, fraught work, quite the contrary. Els has the special talent for approaching difficult themes with a special sense of humour, adding a poetic and tender dimension to her work.

THE 2020 SUMMER EXHIBITION AT LE NEUF GALLERY

Displacement - installation, 2019 (Copy)

Holy land 1, H 80 cm x W 95 cm, oil on canvas, 2016 (Copy)

Escapism, H 130 cm x W 160 cm, oil on canvas, 2018 (Copy)

Façade 1, H 60 cm x W 80 cm, oil on canvas, 2018 (Copy)

Façade 2, H 50 cm x W 70 cm, oil on canvas, 2018 (Copy)

Just a matter of animalisation, H 70 cm x W 90 cm, oil on canvas, 2018 (Copy)

Meat grinder, H 60 cm x W 90 cm, oil on canvas, 2018 (Copy)

My own reality, H 100 cm x W 160 cm, oil on canvas, 2020 (Copy)

Party!, H 40 cm x W 30 cm, oil on canvas, 2019 (Copy)

Refugee, H 140 cm x W 170 cm, oil on canvas, 2019 (Copy)

Trophy, H 40 cm x W 30 cm, oil on canvas, 2018 (Copy)

Displacement 2a, H 42 cm x W 32 cm, pencil and acryl on paper (framed), 2019 (Copy)

Displacement 2b, H 42 cm x W 32 cm, pencil and acryl on paper (framed), 2019 (Copy)

Displacement 2e, H 42 cm x W 32 cm, pencil and acryl on paper (framed), 2019 (Copy)

Displacement 2f, H 42 cm x W 32 cm, pencil and acryl on paper (framed), 2019 (Copy)

Games 1, H 26 cm x W 35 cm, screen printing on paper (framed), 2014 (Copy)

Games 2, H 26 cm x W 35 cm, screen printing on paper (framed), 2014 (Copy)

Games 3, H 26 cm x W 35 cm, screen printing on paper (framed), 2014 (Copy)

Let’s play games, H 45 cm x W 80 cm, screen printing on paper (framed), 2014 (Copy)

When you purchase the artworks of Els Ceulemans through Le Neuf Gallery, they are eligible for the interest-free art loan of Kunst Aan Zet. If you are living in Flanders or Brussels, you can purchase a work from Els Ceulemans and pay it back in monthly installments. You can get a loan between €500 and €7,000 with a repayment period of either 1 or 2 years, depending on the price.

EXHIBITIONS

Solo exhibitions

Cultureel Centrum Nova, Antwerpen, 2020
Jan Dhaese Gallery, Ghent, 2018 – 2016 -2014
Cultural Centre, Hasselt, 2002
Netwerk Gallery, Aalst, 2000
Cultural Centre, Kontich, 1998
Hedah Centre for Contemporary Art, Maastricht (NL), 1998
Henn Gallery, Maastricht (NL), 1994
Bemis Gallery, Omaha (Nebraska, USA), 1993
Jan Van Eyck Gallery, Maastricht (NL), 1991

Group exhibitions

Stadsfestival Damme, 2019
Kunstenfestival Watou, 2019
Belgian Art & Design Fair, Ghent, 2017
Cultureel Centrum, Harelbeke, 2016
International Print Center, New York (USA), 2011
Biennale Internationale d’Estampe Contemporaine 6, Trois-Rivières (Canada), 2009
Artists without borders, paper no limit, Przemyśl (PL), 2006
Frans Masereel Centre, Engramme (Québec, Canada), 2005
Overbruggen, Boom/Willebroek, 1999
Art Shop, Henn Gallery, Maastricht (NL), 1992
No title (works on paper), Henn Gallery, Maastricht (NL), 1991

Awards

Prijs Belgische schilderkunst, Harelbeke (1ste prijs), 2016
Grafiekprijs Hilde Demedts (1ste prijs), 2012
Prijs stad Mechelen, grafiek, Mechelen (Belgium), 2010

Training

Artist in residence, Bemis Foundation Omaha (Nebraska, USA), 1993
Jan Van Eyck Academy , Maastricht (Netherlands), 1989 - 1991
Antwerp school of Fine Arts, printing, Sint-Maria, 1988 - 1989
Antwerp school of Fine Arts, painting, 1984 - 1988