People Are Strange Kasper Sonne

The exhibition "People Are Strange" at MARUANI MERCIER in Brussels features the second solo show of artist Kasper Sonne. The works present elongated figures in landscapes, appearing both in harmony with and detached from their surroundings. These figures, often depicted looking away in contemplation, possess a timeless, mythic quality. The juxtaposition of contemporary attire with natural settings, combined with spectral light and a luminous palette, evokes the instability of the human condition and questions the potential for connection.

Sonne works on unprimed linen, applying thinned paint in multiple layers to create vibrant color fields. The exhibition extends the tactile quality of the surface by contrasting areas of thin pigment with energetic brushwork. Works like "Skull Earring" and "Vampire" highlight the artist's exploration of displacement, isolation, and belonging. Sonne constructs and reworks facial features to foster empathy with his enigmatic characters, who seem to exist between eccentricity and introspection, appearing both contemporary and untethered from time.