Annely Juda Fine Art, London, is delighted to announce the gallery’s first exhibition of major works by Belgian artist Yves Zurstrassen (b. 1956 in Liège, Belgium). Known for his experimental techniques and dynamic compositions, Zurstrassen has spent over four decades redefining the language of abstraction. He blends spontaneity with meticulous craftsmanship, creating works that resonate with rhythm, gesture and a profound sense of temporality drawing inspiration from lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionism and the unstructured improvisations of free jazz. At the heart of Zurstrassen’s practice is a process that combines collage, décollage and contemporary digital tools; using stencils crafted from perforated wallpaper, designed through computerized calculations, he layers paint, applies the stencils, and then removes them, revealing fragments of earlier layers. This interplay of addition and subtraction creates a complex visual archaeology, where the final visible elements often reflect the first applied. His use of rhythm and repetition infuses the paintings with a musicality that feels both dynamic and organic, while the tension between physicality and precise design gives an enigmatic quality to the work.
“Sometimes you feel it’s not you who is painting. It’s the painting itself that finds its path. My role is to decide when we’ve arrived at the destination.” - Yves Zurstrassen
This insight encapsulates Zurstrassen’s view of his process as a dynamic exchange between the artist and the canvas, between intuition and technique, spontaneity and structure. Through his layered and evocative works, Zurstrassen invites viewers into a space where time, memory, and imagination converge, offering a profound exploration of the possibilities of abstraction.
Zurstrassen’s work has been exhibited in leading galleries and museums across the world. He is represented by Baronian (Brussels), Xippas (Paris, Geneva, Punta del Este) and Ceysson & Bénétière (New York, Paris, Genève, Luxembourg, Saint-Etienne). His works are held by important public and private collections throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
A digital catalogue accompanies the exhibition.