Fred Michiels

A passionate plea for the use of colour whose subject is painting.!
And Michiels paints several overlapping abstract levels
as almost rigorous surfaces in an unusual purity.
Michiels often repeats structures in one painting after another, creating correlations between different works and increasing the complexity of his intrinsic formal cross-references.
Overpainting is Michiels' way of staging a dialectical relationship between what his paintings reveal and what they hide.
A pictorial reality that is no longer visible to the viewer not only arouses curiosity, but also uncertainty, because visual information is withheld.
Michiels sees his working process as an adventure. "My paintings do not come about quickly. They are the result of a well-considered approach.
I use a number of techniques from abstraction and minimalism to create something that feels open. Not to camouflage the thought process. I am therefore interested in the history and chronology of each painting." And to return to his unfiltered use of colour, some find it pedantic and know-it-all. He himself talks about inner monologues and changes in perspective in colour. "I've always been attracted to the concept of questions and mystery. If you're not experimenting, why a...

1983-1988 Sint Lucas in Antwerp
1995-1996 Cooper Union NYC

I have been exhibiting almost everywhere in Europe since 1999
the most important ones are the art fairs in Cologne, Berlin, Rotterdam, The Hague, Luxembourg and Brussels.


2002-2004 Annie gentils Gallery, Antwerp
2005-2007 Ottilia Pribilla Gallery, Antwerp
2009-2024 Eva Steynen Gallery, Antwerp
2017-2024 The Office of Useless Art (nomadic gallery in europe)
2017 Art Köln
2019-2022 Positions Berlin
2023-2024 Art on Paper Brussels
2023 Artweek Luxembourg
2024 CAS Ostend
2024 Stichting Pim De Rudder Assenede (B)
2026 Museum of the small format, Nismes (B)
2026 Art Brussels