Picture this: Matthieu Ronsse

J’ai le sentiment d’avoir oublié quelque chose

Matthieu Ronsse’s work defies confinement to a specific medium or genre. With an incredible drive, he creates paintings, installations, performances, and hardcore punk music. His paintings reflect his love for the baroque of the seventeenth century but also embody a staunchly nihilistic aesthetic. In composition, texture, and color usage, references to artists like Diego Velasquez can be observed.

Matthieu Ronsse’s paintings often form part of an environment he constructs during an exhibition. Active and dynamic observation is therefore expected from the spectator. Books, musical instruments, clothes, a basketball hoop, a football goal, or a rifle could equally be present, hanging, lying, and utilized within the space.

The title of his project at MDD – J’ai le sentiment d’avoir oublié quelque chose – was coincidentally chosen from the book Le peintre imaginaire by Jean Louis Schefer. The phrase alludes to the elusive nature of painting, the desire to look anew and see different things, and discover new storylines. For his project, Matthieu Ronsse had a true-to-scale reconstruction of his apartment in Ghent. The context he creates serves as a familiar mental space for him. He spent several days and nights in this new space within the museum to paint, play music, install, and sleep. While chaos may seem to prevail, there is a clear constructive policy underlying the installation. The explosion of destructive and constructive forces, linked to an art-historical awareness, defines the entire atmosphere of the project. Chance and unpredictability open up even more shifts in meaning.