BIO

Bart Ons (°1972, Lubbeek) is a contemporary painter based in Veltem-Beisem, between Leuven and Brussels (Belgium). He works primarily in oil on canvas and enriches his medium with raw minerals. In the past, he conducted scientific research on human perception. This fascination with perception evolved into a passion for art and a continuous drive for experimentation. His work is figurative. He paints traces of human presence that converge in a specific moment or place. These traces evoke a tangible sense of a past presence.

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In addition to oil paint, raw materials are incorporated physically into the image, creating a tactile layering. The richness of oil paint lends each image a sense of authenticity and authority. The raw substances amplify this effect, enhancing the sense of authenticity in the human traces and artefacts.

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His work is driven by the contrast between a deep-seated need for human connection and a naturally introspective disposition. Images take the place of encounters, speaking through silence. People and artefacts are depicted in relation to their environment, to one another, or to the viewer—often as silent witnesses or as remnants of what once was. His work explores the tension between distance and closeness to others. Examples of his work include:

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• African masks positioned along the shoreline, their gaze evoking a shared in-between space. Their placement gives them an interrelational character and turns them into traces of earlier human presence. [link]

• Shadows of tree leaves falling across a path, with fleeting figures and empty benches. These elements subtly allude to a past human presence. [link]

• People walking along a path, rendered using alternative materials such as ash and lime. The image presents an afterimage of people leaving the viewer behind. The use of material imbues the work with a transformative and transient quality. [link]​​​​​​​​​