Biography of Veks Van Hillik
Veks has developed his own unique style, which is dreamlike, surrealist, and steeped in a variety of influences. Gustave Doré, Ingres, Caravage, Dali, and Breton are among the many artists of the past two centuries who have inspired him. But since he is also a product of his generation, his work is inflected with pop-culture, video games, comic books, street art, and tattoos. Since 2010, when he held his first exhibition in Toulouse (where he lives and works), he has had many exhibitions across France. Recently, his work travelled to Italy at the MondoPop Gallery in Rome in 2012, and in Salerno in 2013. He has also exhibited at GristleTattoo Gallery in Brooklyn and in Melbourne. Each of Veks Van Hillik’s paintings or drawings is an ode to the imagination, a secret window into his dreams and chimera, in which each scene, each character is a subtle combination of candour and darkness.
“STATEMENT”
I wanted to make a dual-purpose painting here. First, to represent my personal world, which is very often peopled with chimeras, hybrids, and animals, especially fish. However, I also wanted to adapt to the location, its “Escherian” architecture, and its spaces. So, in order to create a more surrealist dimension, I played on an image with a double meaning, literally.
So I invite you to tilt your head to the left.
