Reinzwein Van Praet

Reinzwein Van Praet Biography

Belgium, born 1963

"Observe, draw, observe, draw. Everything else is bullshit."

This repeated mantra comes from my observation-drawing teacher Hugo Heyens at St-Lukas Brussels and is still my vision on making art.

I have no problem with others who link theories, philosophy or religion on their work, but I like to start from the moment itself or even nothing.

In the eighties I was active in the do-it-yourself punk-scene and studied art at St-Lukas Brussels. I became inspired by Max Ernst, Roberto Matta, Andre Masson (automatism) Francis Bacon, William Blake, H.R. Giger,... but not bounded on ism's, styles, materials, art forms and had never commercial ambitions.

Active as painter, writer, musician (check Pigs in Blue Glue), performer, photographer, moviemaker, storyteller, object maker,... and sometimes mixing them together.

Depends on the moment and goes with the flow.

Underneath everything are layers of social criticism, escapism, dystopian feelings and fears contrasting with 'Simple Beauty As It Is', unbound, unlimited.

I love it when my works create complete new stories inside the observer.

Most works refers to songs/music and so are most titles of my work. Lots of works showed here are accompanied with a soundtrack.

Sometimes I start with the music (R.L. Crutchfield's Dark Day), sometimes it enters while painting (Poison Girls) and sometimes it comes as a vision during a concert (Death). But it's always there.

At the moment I'm combining my photography with painting and fast-sketching.