Alain Biltereyst: Celebrating the Everyday through Abstraction

Alain Biltereyst, born in 1965 and living in Brussels, is an artist whose work showcases how everyday designs can go beyond their basic use. He’s a contemporary Belgian artist who makes abstract paintings inspired by the often-overlooked graphic elements of city life, such as commercial signs and billboards. Through his art, he highlights their inherent visual beauty.

Biltereyst focuses on thick panels to explore the layering and repetition of colours, shapes, and motifs. These are usually taken from simple objects like manhole covers, fences, or logos on aeroplane tails. He transforms what many might see as ordinary parts of our urban environment into fine art pieces.

He has collaborated with Kvadrat, a textile company, on the Quotes collection, designing curtains and rugs that translate his artistic style.

Between Precious Object and Design Canon

The balance in Biltereyst’s work lies in how he oscillates between the precious and the commonplace. The artist takes elements from advertising and design, then tweaks colours and isolates forms, crafting works that operate at the intersection between treasured objects and fragments of the design canon. The outcome is a series of tile-like panels and more significant works that invite the viewer to see the beauty in the everyday. His technique of over-painting on carefully chosen scales draws viewers into a world where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Exhibition Highlights: A Global Presence

1. Solo Exhibitions:

•    Leaving the House at Jack Hanley Gallery
•    Collected Stories at Mario Mauroner Contemporary Art Salzburg-Vienna

2. Group Exhibitions:

•    Form Follows Function? at Art Center Hugo Voeten
•    The B&W Project # at Transmitter, Brooklyn

A Circular Journey from Pop Culture to Fine Art

Biltereyst is fascinated by the visual language of cities, especially in terms of commercial signs, typography, and logos. He creates works that refer to the past but are also innovative. He doesn’t merely celebrate old designs; he reimagines them in a full circle. His abstract works are more than just shapeless forms; they come to life from a world that’s been twisted, turned, and altered. In this world, three-dimensional structures deeply rooted in history and culture might suddenly appear.

Final Thoughts: The Elevated Ordinary

Alain Biltereyst succeeds in cataloguing his world while also paying homage to earlier historical abstractions. His work exemplifies the remarkable capacity of simple, practical designs to become something far more potent and enduring. Through artists like Biltereyst, we are reminded to find beauty in the world surrounding us, historically significant and day-to-day.

Sources

“Alain Biltereyst,” Jack Hanley Gallery, accessed October 27, 2023, Jack Hanley Gallery.

“Alain Biltereyst,” Baronian Gallery, accessed October 27, 2023, Baronian Gallery.

Dezeen. (2022, June 17). Kvadrat presents Quotes rugs and curtains by Alain Biltereyst in Milan. Dezeen. Retrieved from https://www.dezeen.com/2022/06/17/kvadrat-quotes-graphic-curtains-rugs-alain-biltereyst/

Hoffman, B. (2002). The Fine Art of Advertising. United Kingdom: Harry N. Abrams.

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