"Leafs" Painting

Belgian artist Noor Deleersnyder works primarily in oil paint and mixed media, mostly inspired by neo-expressionism; her work is very direct with vibrant colors and visible brushstrokes. She takes a bold and visceral approach to painting.

In her works, the visual language is sensual, raw, and never without a twist of humor. The nude, cartoonesque self-portraits are emotionally charged and appear as stand-ins for a broader exploration of identity, vulnerability, and transformation. Landscapes serve as psychological spaces rather than literal settings, populated with references to tarot and archetypal symbolism.

With a clear, authentic voice, Noor resists easy categorization. Her practice is physical, instinctive, and marked by a sense of freedom that embraces both humor and gravity. She wants to engage the viewers by showcasing multiple layers with adjacent strong contrasts in color, texture, medium and or style. She paints with oil on larger canvases or she mixes digital with analog by digitally altering photographs and then painting directly on their prints with gouache.

For Noor, a neurodivergent artist who lives in the Flemish countryside but also experienced years among the Kurds in Turkey and urban Belgian immigrant neighborhoods, contrasts in her work symbolize those in her own life, collaging seemingly incompatible values, cultures, and experiences into a space of belonging where individuality is central and where she unapologetically develops her own voice and universe, with growth and transformation as guiding forces.