Werner Mannaers’ oeuvre has been developing since the 1980s and can be read as a highly personal pictorial investigation. His improvised working method leaves scope for playful associations of motifs, signs and language. Mannaers does not disguise the trial and error involved in the creative process. On the contrary – it is an essential part of his aesthetic. In his drawings this is expressed in the deliberate retention of crossed-out fragments of text. Mannaers peppers his painting with a range of art historical references, which he subsequently links to philosophical quotes or elements from popular culture. Through this ‘sampling’ technique, a multi-layered context is created that allows the artist to soften the often existential subject matter with irony and self-mockery. © Almine Rech

Photo: © Stad Antwerpen