At the end of last year, ‘On Gaze’ rolled off our presses. Artist Patrick Ceyssens’ book takes a unique look at his rich oeuvre.
Through paintings and photographs, theatrical video projects and multimedia image installations, Hoeselaar has been exploring the subcutaneous effect of images for more than twenty years. ‘I want people to look beyond the surface of an image to experience its deeper meaning.’
How do we experience and process visual information? How can images influence perception and reveal connections and stories that remain unnoticed at first glance? What is the distance between the visible and the conceivable? For more than twenty years, artist and academic Patrick Ceyssens – currently a lecturer at the PXL-MAD School of Arts – has been engaged in image analysis, visual thinking, the indirect effect of images and the intertwining of image and language. In his artworks, he constantly explores the subcutaneous effects of images and the layers behind them. To do so, he uses a crossover of various media, from paintings to photographs and films. He often works with parts of previously made photographs or other visual material that are an imperfect representation of reality. Or he introduces disturbances or breaks such as grids, folds, layers or parts of the image surface that directly or indirectly reveal a different perspective. Each work tells a different story and requires an active viewing attitude that goes far beyond the first impression.
Everyone sees things differently, based on their own perception and reality. You project your outlook on life, emotions and dreams onto the images you see. I want to take people on a journey through a story that encourages them to look at things in a more nuanced way. I want them to think about how visual media guide, feed and shape our perceptions and emotions. Every image has different layers. The second or third layer is much more interesting than the foreground. We often see things that we cannot immediately define. Indirect visual language. For example, I sand down paintings to increase their suggestive power. As a viewer, you have to think and make an effort yourself to complete the image. In fact, you never know when to stop looking. You keep wondering whether you’ve seen everything.”
In On Gaze, Ceyssens presents a carefully chosen selection of artworks from the past twenty-five years. The book contains more than 200 images of paintings, installations and projects, supplemented with in-depth reflections by leading professors, art critics and curators. Each chapter is named after a specific work and uses thumbnails to show the evolution in his work at a glance, from colour to form and composition.
Patrick Ceyssens came into contact with Buroform through book designer and book expert Tina De Souter. ‘I was immediately charmed by your approach,’ he says. ‘You think along with the artist in a very visual way, paying close attention to the importance of colour and paper choice. I really appreciated that. This book is about my own sensitivity. So you need people who understand your story and can translate my flow in the right way.’
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