Marc Goethals
Plattegronden, landkaarten, e.a.

For the exhibition Plattegronden, landkaarten, e.a. (Floor Plans, Maps, etc.), Marc Goethals makes a selection of works from the last ten years. For the first time, he presents a series of drawings with colored pencils.

His exhibition at MDD not only consists of the installation of the works but also includes the publication of a poster (Bibliomanie) and a catalogue, notable for its reduction to the essence. Also, for his presentation in the Winterkabinet in Ghent in 2005, for example, the poster, flyer, publication, and invitation card were essential parts of the exhibition.

Since 1998, he has been creating various colored pencil drawings. He began experimenting with colored pencils during a period when he was staying in France and did not have a studio. The houses he inhabited were in the middle of the woods, isolated from the outside world. Graphic compositions with green areas, interspersed with clouds and the floor plan of a house, are the result of those lonely days. Although the execution seems naive, the composition is very thoughtful and rhythmically structured. In the drawings, he plays with areas and volumes that can be read very linearly, like a sentence. More recently, he also incorporated maps into his drawings, allowing them to be experienced as imaginary journeys. The two canvas paintings from 1997 in the exhibition are experiments that show an almost graphic way of painting closely related to the colored pencil technique. They are geometric figures where he creates rhythm through the use of color and the alternation of areas and volumes.