Francis Leenaerts (Sint-Niklaas, 1989) his story started some time ago in London. In museums he was amazed at what art could do for him. However, when Corona broke out and the sector in which he was employed was hit hard, he did not sit still. He looked for a way to express his creativity and started experimenting with acrylic paint. From the first meeting, it immediately gave him a certain satisfaction and a liberating feeling. At the same time he also encountered limitations, just as reality also has limitations compared to the ideal dream image. He also experiences that tension between freedom and limitation in the world around him and is reflected in his paintings. During the pandemic it seemed as if the world stood still, unlike nature that continued to change. This is how he came up with the idea of bringing nature into the living room, as it were, by converting certain aspects of it into an image. In the translation to canvas, he mainly indulges in alternating subtle and thickly painted relief motifs that give the experience a distinctly dynamic character. Francis Leenaerts will first exhibit at the Svenson Art gallery in Knokke in November 2023.
