Thierry Harpes (autoportrait) balcony, Berlin
Thierry Harpes was born in Luxembourg in 1991. He studied at the University of the Arts in Berlin (UDK) from 2013 to 2019 with Professor Robert Lucander, from 2019 to 2021 with Mark Sadler, and graduated as Meisterschüler in 2021. He lives and works in Luxembourg. His work has been shown in numerous exhibitions, among others in Berlin, Florence, Munich, Vienna and Luxembourg.
Thierry Harpes makes use of abstract motifs in his paintings, drawings and sculptures, which he presents from unusual points of view. He questions the given relationship between space and time, as well as interpersonal bonds, with regards to the context and specific environment of our contemporary period. The scenery presented appears somewhat surreal yet possess a relatable universality.
The diverse and coexisting perspectives are typical of his work; tridimensional objects constantly open up new angles; his work is marked by multiplicity. Nonetheless, one often notices a simultaneity of line and surface. In a supposed arbitrary way, the artist wanders between the spheres of his universe. Where is the interior, where the exterior, and where does the former begin, the latter end? His compositions allow the viewer to follow the performing act of painting.
Harpes uses personal recollections, observations from everyday life and dreams, and translates them into his own personal language. He strolls and finds his subject through trial and error. Harpes stages the materiality of painting; a closer look at the surface of his works reveals translucid sketches, connections and oppositions, glossy and matte colours, as well as pasty and glazed layers of paint. This dynamic of creation and destruction is primordial in allowing him to toy with ideas and reconcile the spiritual with the sensual. Often, lower layers remain visible, thus becoming an integral part of the process. The choice of colours allows to engage the viewer in the discovery of emotions they could not apprehend before. They are images of what is commonly neglected or relegated to the background, and allow us a brief glimpse at our world through another’s eyes.
Thierry Harpes’ creation reflects the mood of his generation and exudes the loneliness and the disconnect we experience in daily life. His images are playful, flowing, but also thoughtful and at times melancholic.
Patrick Vedie