Guy Mees

Guy Mees, ° 1935-2003 Mechelen, Belgium

Mees’ paper reliefs are beautifully composed, fragile paper cut-out collages hung directly on the wall without protecting frames, often installed rather high so as to suggest an airy, fleeting lightness all too absent from much of the work of his contemporaries. Referencing colour field-type abstraction and modernist grid-like structures, they also show the nature of the artist’s debt to the great paradigms of the painterly tradition, which Mees tirelessly tried to expand and open up; His works are often pleasant to look at, sensual and decorative. The artist avoided interviews and commentary. He chose to leave the interpretation of his work to the spectators. In this way, his works remain dynamic and open to interpretation. This volatility is an essential feature of his works. They are fragile: the transient and ephemeral are paramount. (M HKA)