Kees van de Wal

The work of Kees van de Wal is about shape, colour and matter, tranquillity is the theme.

Kees van de Wal:

“I am looking for the ultimate shape, a shape that represents nothing but says it all with minimal means. Within my minimalist visual language I create modest but powerful shapes, shapes that take their place in the space.”

At the moment – since the summer of 2022 – I am inspired by cardboard from old packaging boxes and make large and small wall objects. In all these years, tranquillity and minimalism have remained.

I get the boxes from friends and shops in the area. They have been used, something has been packed in them, transported, it has travelled a distance. There are fold lines, nicks and adhesive edges. It’s damaged. The material challenges me to create new shapes, minimalist, tranquil objects. I work with acrylic and alkyd paint and oil stick, among other things.

In my work I try to create my own world, looking for balance but also tension, imperfection, not flashy but quiet and subdued. This gives each object its own character, modest and informal. This is my world, this is who I am.”