The recent paintings of Stephan Konings have a strong visceral quality. They evoke a universe of unidentified shapes, ambiguous body parts, and mysterious figures drifting in a dark, vast space. Oscillating between abstract and figurative, they are open to interpretation; while one viewer might identify a human body, another might see underwater life or even life under the microscope. From humans to oceanic animals and single-celled organisms – the work has a visual richness that allows for multiple interpretations. The process of production remains as much an enigma as the mythical world we encounter in the paintings. During a long period of time, Konings experimented with various materials and chemical substances to achieve the desired effect. The result are paintings on specifically produced unframed dibond panels, using a secret technique only known to the artist. Coincidence plays an important role in the process, in interaction with the guiding hand and body movement of Konings, who makes intuitive choices while painting. The transparent epoxy coating adds to the impression of an unlimited, unrestrained space, as the painted forms seem to ascend from an unmeasurable depth. The works are both luxury objects and ambiguous depictions of a world beyond what we usually know and see.

Stephan Konings lives and works in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In 1999, he graduated cum laude from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, and has continuously worked on developing and expanding his painting practice over the following decades. His work has been exhibited in the Netherlands and abroad, and receives increasing world-wide attention.