The Punk Baroque Series.

- May 12, 2025

Mar I.A. *PBNDB2000 2000 Mural artwork Tournai, Belgium (LOST)

The Punk Baroque Series:

This series is not the primary body of work I exhibit, but rather a form of academic decompression—a relaxed exercise that balances the sustained intensity of my abstract painting practice.

In my abstract work there is no predefined “script,” and each painting involves a sequence of decisions often marked by tension and uncertainty. Between these demanding processes, I turn to these academic variations as a way to pause, recalibrate, and momentarily step away from my main abstract concerns.

Because of its accessibility, this project has accompanied me for many years. It began while I was studying at the academy, at a time when I could not clearly define its purpose or fully understand why I was drawn to it. Perhaps even today that definition remains open. These hypothetical icons evoke both real and imagined memories.

They are reconfigured through references to popular culture and subtle reinterpretations of art history—layered, sampled, and remixed in a manner akin to a DJ’s practice.

The series employs simple materials such as colored pencils, graphite, and spray paint, most often applied to raw canvas prepared with a single sealing layer. Fingerprints and incidental marks are left visible, foregrounding the physical process and the trace of the hand.