Belgian artist Bart Baele has once again graced Galerie Polaris with his sixth solo exhibition, inviting us to step into a world populated by his inner demons. Across fifteen captivating and tumultuous paintings, he bares his soul, infusing each canvas with a potent blend of pain and bitter humor that transcends boundaries, resonating with viewers on a universal level. His work captivates through both his masterful palette and the rich symbolism of recurring motifs.
Gallery Polaris, Bart Baele, exhibition view. Paris, 2023
Baele’s artistic imagery is a tapestry of diverse and frequently revisited elements: crucifixes reminiscent of his childhood catechism, skulls, and testicles soaring through the air under the provocative banner of French or Flemish words. These symbols invoke his personal pantheon of influences, including luminaries such as Antonin Artaud, Edvard Munch, Vincent Van Gogh, James Ensor, and Niko Pirosmani. Baele’s use of these references feels like an incantation, spoken aloud to heighten the tension that runs throughout his mesmerizing work—a tension that oscillates between satire and drama, pamphlet and fable. These quotations intensify the emotional charge, ensnaring the spectator within their grasp. In this realm, the theatricality of existence takes on its full dimensions.
Gallery Polaris, Bart Baele, exhibition view. Paris, 2023
Constant, the Dutch painter, seemed to presage Baele’s approach when he declared, “A painting is not an assembly of lines and colors; it is an animal, a night, a cry, a human being, and all of that at the same time.” Baele’s voice echoes Constant’s sentiment, serving as a cry that affirms the artist’s existence and breathes life into his silent, yet ironically anxious, lament.
Gallery Polaris, Bart Baele, exhibition view. Paris, 2023
The figures that populate Baele’s works are sometimes ethereal, disembodied shells, already touched by the hand of death, and at other times, they are puppets in Baele’s personal theater. Ghosts, masks, skeletons, and lost children—these are the delicate, often hovering silhouettes that haunt his canvases. Drawing inspiration from his life, as well as his contemplations on humanity’s place in the world, Baele paints a pessimistic portrait, albeit one infused with the unique humor characteristic of Belgian artists.
Gallery Polaris, Bart Baele, exhibition view. Paris, 2023
Despite his ability to distance himself from the afflictions of contemporary life and the art world today, Baele’s work is a visceral expression of the profound emotions tied to the essence of human nature. To him, each painting is a scar of life, a testament to his journey through the labyrinth of existence.
Gallery Polaris, Bart Baele, exhibition view. Paris, 2023
In Bart Baele’s sixth solo exhibition, viewers are invited to confront their own inner demons, to reflect on the human condition, and to appreciate the powerful interplay of pain, humor, and symbolism woven into every brushstroke. It is a testament to Baele’s artistry that his work resonates so deeply, provoking both thought and emotion in equal measure.
Gallery Polaris, Bart Baele, exhibition view. Paris, 2023
