I often say that I see portraiture as an ethical and profoundly human act. This statement sums up a key aspect of my working method and my understanding of painting.
We live in an age where we see hundreds of faces every day. We come across them on screens, on social media, in photographs that constantly appear and disappear. And yet we rarely take the time to really look at them. We rarely give another person our undivided attention.
It was precisely this need that gave rise to this exhibition: the desire to slow down the gaze.
Every portrait you see here is based on a real-life encounter. The people who appear in these works are friends, family members or people from my personal circle who were willing to spend time with me in my home. For me, a painting begins long before the first brushstroke. It begins with welcoming someone into my home, with conversations, with shared moments of silence, and with the shared experience of time.
I paint from a live model because I need that sense of presence. It is important to me that a genuine human connection develops between myself and the person I am portraying. During these sessions, very subtle moments often occur: involuntary gestures, moments of tiredness, calm, vulnerability or thoughtfulness. These are moments that can easily be overlooked, yet they hold a great deal of emotional truth.
I’m not interested in an exact reproduction of outward appearance. I don’t want to simply copy a face. What interests me is something deeper: the experience of truly sitting face to face with another person. I try to capture what emerges when someone stops posing and is simply present.
The focus here is on the invisible: on empathy, on genuine human connection, on that which cannot be possessed but which gives life meaning and depth. For me, this act also embodies a political and existential stance: the conviction that every human being deserves to be seen with sincerity and attention.
That is why, for me, every portrait is also a testament to a relationship. It is a trace of time spent together. Every picture preserves something of a conversation, of trust, and of the encounter that took place in my home.
Although each work depicts a specific person, my aim has never been to tell the story of that person alone. I am interested in how the individual can become something universal. The emotions that emerge in these portraits – vulnerability, melancholy, hope, uncertainty or the desire to be seen and understood – are experiences that we all share at some point in our lives.
The title of the exhibition, *What Matters*, arose from precisely this line of thought. After every encounter, after every session and after every painting, I ask myself what actually remains. And I have come to the conclusion that it is neither a particular gesture nor a captured expression. What remains is the emotional trace left behind by a genuine encounter. What remains is the experience of being seen and of having truly seen someone else.
In a world that constantly pushes us towards speed and distraction, these works invite us to look more slowly. To take the time to look at a face. And to discover that behind every person lies a complex, vulnerable and deeply human world.
I hope that, as you walk through the exhibition, you will be able to sense something of the encounters that gave rise to these portraits – and perhaps even recognise a little of yourself in them.
Read more
