Her work exudes an unruly temptation and a powerful presence. In her drawings, collages, sculptures, films and textile pieces, Nel Aerts demonstrates a very distinct and recognisable visual language: seemingly cheerful and semi-figurative. She knows what she wants, and at the same time, she has doubts. She is open and unpretentious. Her steps abroad were taken somewhat unconsciously. She is represented by the Carl Freedman Gallery in London. That says something about her quality and attitude: “I want to be totally absorbed by my work but avoid being completely drained.”

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Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

© Dennis & Did

Who is Nel Aerts?

  • born in Turnhout in 1987
  • studied media art at the KASK School of Arts in Ghent
  • is married to the artist Vaast Colson
  • is affiliated with the PLUS-ONE Gallery in Antwerp and the Carl Freedman Gallery in London
  • had her first gallery exhibition in 2012 and has been exhibiting at home and abroad ever since
  • produced 100 self-portraits in 2015 at the Van Gogh House in Zundert (NL) 
  • had a retrospective at Museum M in Leuven with The Waddle Show
  • published the book The Wanderer Paintings in collaboration with Triangle Books in 2019

Anyone who views your work is amazed at your imagination.

I don’t know if I had an extraordinarily broad imagination as a child. I think that as an artist, I mastered a certain language, as a way of justifying my existence as such. It may be more of a survival strategy than a great imagination. At the KASK in Ghent, I focused on being an artist as such, on adopting a position and undertaking investigative action. When I arrived in Antwerp, I initially surrounded myself with strong figures, people who knew what they were doing. With a lot of energy and an intense atmosphere. That was inevitably an effective motivator for assuming positions.

Was leaving the warm nest of the academy difficult?

I don’t know if I had an extraordinarily broad imagination as a child. I think that as an artist, I mastered a certain language, as a way of justifying my existence as such. It may be more of a survival strategy than a great imagination. At the KASK in Ghent, I focused on being an artist as such, on adopting a position and undertaking investigative action. When I arrived in Antwerp, I initially surrounded myself with strong figures, people who knew what they were doing. With a lot of energy and an intense atmosphere. That was inevitably an effective motivator for assuming positions.

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

© Dennis & Did

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

How do you establish that unambiguous, distinct tone in your growing oeuvre?

I’ve built a toolbox that I use to bring something into the world. It evolves and shifts along with me. I have my own language, but it’s still a dual relationship. I can get pretty stubborn with my vocabulary. It is like a process of attracting and repelling at the same time. I believe the fact that my work is recognisable is something of a compliment, although I do not think that makes all my work similar. It does have a distinct, tangible energy. At the same time, it’s an exciting idea to be able to blow it all up tomorrow. That’s a freedom you have to retain. Precisely because you can also get caught up in your own language.

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

© Dennis & Did

Can a pattern of expectation paralyse you?

People can sometimes tend to project their wishes onto your work. In the past, I could catch myself at times working to other people’s agendas.

It’s never a good idea to be too accommodating.

But I’m also someone who brutally and intuitively does her own thing. However, it is still a continuous effort to be self-critical. As an artist, you have to be careful not to throw sand in your own eyes. Are you repeating a certain image because you feel it has not yet been exhausted or refined, or because you simply have a new deadline around the corner? There is, of course, a fundamental difference.

It wasn’t very long before you presented your work abroad. How did that go?

The group exhibition Un-Scene II in Wiels in 2012 turned out to be a tipping point. I was approached by curators, critics and gallery owners there. I joined forces with the then Brussels gallery Vidal Cuglietta, which took me for a solo exhibition to Liste Art Fair Basel. The exhibition was small, but it represented the first significant momentum. On reflection, I may not have experienced that first international exhibition sufficiently consciously. Several followed after that. It didn’t really have a major personal impact. I am very ambitious in and with my work. But in fact, I wasn’t purposefully ambitious in those first tentative steps abroad.

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

© Dennis & Did

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

Do you experience foreign interest in a different way than if it is domestic?

You act differently. People are less aware of who you are. On the one hand, you have to ‘work harder’ in a way, and on the other, there is nothing better than a situation in which no one knows who you are.

When you are abroad, you are fully involved in the role of an artist.

At home, the social aspect may take over more quickly. My work is certainly not readily understood, so the fact that foreigners can also identify with it is great. I also enjoy the fact that those who follow me experience a degree of suspense in a developing oeuvre. I want something to be built up, so I repeatedly challenge myself during each exhibition and question everything anew. In this way, the work becomes increasingly complex and acquires new layers.

Are exhibition openings high points for you?

It depends, I can be nervous sometimes because the work has to find its own way from then on. It’s exciting to see how it survives and how people approach it. That is why there is sometimes a fantastic energy at an exhibition opening, and then it is definitely a high point for me. In my opinion, an exhibition has succeeded if it generates something among the audience and initiates a dialogue. And if it appeals to new people who are interested and want to follow my work.

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

© Dennis & Did

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

How do you prepare for an exhibition?

That also varies occasionally. The end of 2019 turned out to be a genuine culmination, with three solos, two in Germany, one in Museum M and the first catalogue I produced with Triangle Books. I was very happy with how they interacted. The months before an exhibition are all-consuming. Then there’s nothing but the work.

In my case, an exhibition comes together like a storm.

I don’t always have a very specific idea of each work, but I do have an idea of what the exhibition as a whole can become. It comes together during the creative process, also in relation to each other. Rarely consciously, but what I see or listen to does have an impact on that process.

My experiences are very different. The relationship can be very special or complex. You learn from it over and over, and with time, you are more on the ball because you know what is important to you and what you should let go of. It’s a continuous effort to allow people to be involved in your work without feeling like you’re losing a degree of control.

A great relationship with a gallery owner that fizzles out is profound. It causes your world to shift.

I have a very independent practice, out of self-preservation perhaps, or because I was raised that way. That’s why I like to publish things independently. I used to say yes to everything. Nowadays I take a more informed decision, because in the long run you get totally drained, and it can leave you feeling sad and frustrated.

Do you continue to struggle with that balance, in yourself and in your work?

It’s how I shape my life. Maybe I’m extreme and deliberately seek out extremes. It’s an inherent part of my work, and that’s how I am, brutal and vulnerable, intuitive and spontaneous. Sometimes I’m surprised by what creeps into my work from my emotions. And how they subsequently interact with the audience. Although, as an artist, you can never fully control how people interpret your work. I accept that. But I think I should keep at it, even though I sometimes run out of steam. If I don’t, over time, I will find myself on well-trodden paths. And that would be worse.

Nel Aerts © Dennis & Did

© Dennis & Did