Fragment 3, 2024

Niki Neuts  

All the patterns and materials Niki Neuts uses are filled with meaning and symbolism, nourished both by her personal history and by the collective unconscious. The attention to the physical qualities of the materials is a key aspect of her creative process: rust settling in... the notion of time passing... zinc that patinas, fabric that tears, paper that cracks. This is also where her absolute need to recycle and reuse her materials comes from.

She challenges and plays with the double meaning of things to evoke the cycle of life and death, of rebirth, and of an eternal life in various forms.

Fragment 3 presents itself in an organic, curved shape, an abstraction that is intriguing and fascinating at first glance. Its outline, raw, is made of zinc. At the heart of this masterpiece, the image of human feet stands out clearly. These feet, meticulously painted in shades of gray on organza, seem to float weightlessly inside the curved form. Their realism contrasts with the abstract, fluid patterns surrounding them, creating a juxtaposition that is both unsettling and wonderfully harmonious. The lines and details of the feet are rendered with such precision that we are drawn to examine closely the texture of the skin, the play of light and shadow. The surrounding patterns, reminiscent of organic matter, evoke a sense of movement and lightness, as though the feet are at the center of an aerial dance. These abstract elements, delicately and harmoniously arranged, add a dynamic and fluid dimension to the work. By combining hyper-realistic elements with abstract motifs, the artist skillfully blurs the boundaries between the real and the imaginary.