Myriam Eykens

14-04 till 22-05-2023  → The Latem Gallery, Lochristi
fr + sa from 2PM till 6PM
su from 11AM till 6PM
0486.97.59.00
www.thelatemgalery.eu

What we perceive as reality turns out to be little else than an illusion hiding a much wider scope. To Myriam Eykens, truth in art should be intimately related to beauty. Her ability to create timeless beauty in imposing yet delicate bronze female nudes, could convince her viewers of a supposed love of classicism.
Yet nothing could be further from her actual concept and practice of sculpturing and painting. To Myriam’s mind, the classical tends to border the tedium. That is why all of her own works – bronzes, terracotta, pastels – try to capture and render states of happiness, sometimes rapture yet mostly serenity.

No narratives involved. The female body exhales sheer beauty, not for any particular reason, but for its own subtle sake.

The sculptress turns out a master in granting contented, uncomplicated life, not just to the naked female body but also to children’s heads and to painted faces.

Myriam Eykens hates sentimentality, though. Her boundless energy infuses her figures with power: the power of liveliness, spontaneity and bliss.

Her mastery of modelling, and her impressive technical skills, allow her to experiment in achieving daring, sometimes gently erotic postures. Which conveys relaxed simplicity and a feeling of balance in the viewer’s mind – emotions rarely to be come across in today’s art world.

Frans Boenders
Honorary President, Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts