Callewaert Vanlangendonck is proud to introduce Manu Engelen (°1984).

Manu Engelen. The only way to connect is to crash.
Curated by Koen van den Broek.

Manu Engelen graduated in 2010 from PXL-MAD School of Arts Hasselt, master painting.
From 2016 to 2017 Engelen continued his studies at the Kunstakademie Münster - Hochschule für Bildende Künste. From January 2021, he will start a post-graduate course in visual arts at The Higher Institute for Fine Arts (HISK).
Engelen’s paintings might come across as pure abstraction, in fact they are based on the observation of particular objects or phenomena that have struck his attention. The artist starts to paint already with a synthesised image in his mind, taking a leap from figuration towards abstraction and from assertion to speculation. One of Manu’s subject of interest has been the notion of energy and its different manifestations, from mechanical- to chemical energy. This interest shows not only in the more or less absent layer of representation, but also in the formal qualities of his paintings, vibrating with colours and incorporating energetic strokes of spray paint. Manu’s works have a characteristic aura, combining a soft feeling of nostalgia with a fresh sense humour, brought about by the use of contrasting colours and rudimental, familiar-looking forms.

Artists: Manu Engelen