Conrad Willems

I am a visual artist making drawings, sculptures and performances.

I was born in 1983 by the sea, but live and work in Ghent.
Geometry, repetition and modularity are three basic principles in all of my works, resulting in a unique visual language that is highly recognisable.

The drawings show the repetition of figures, varying in shapes and sizes. They are made with freehand and without a predetermined plan: every drawn line is a permanent one. This method of freehand repetition generates patterns, disturbed by imperfections in the repetition process. Some earlier drawings are reminiscent of cities or minimal urban landscapes. There are however only shapes, no buildings. The form denies any function. In more recent work, the repetition pattern becomes more and more flawed. Ultimately, each shape is a new one. In my latest work I layer several drawings over each other, blurring recognisable shapes, then adding new ones.

The sculptures share the same basic principles. Earlier works explored simple geometric shapes, blurred or emphasised by adding light. Later sculptural works are constructed with freestanding pieces. These modular installations are often constructed live. The building process thus becomes a performance, the resulting construction an installation work. My latest installations are made with natural stone building blocks, referring more and more to sculptures in a more classical sense.

The interpretations of the works are left to the viewer.