July 4, 2024 | Saint-Paul de Vence
De Buck Gallery is delighted to announce Retracing Walkways, our second solo exhibition with Belgian painter Gommaar Gilliams in Saint Paul De Vence. Introducing a body of nine new paintings, Gilliams’ latest works draw on his continued interest in the theme of ‘collective memory’ whilst also taking a new emphasis on the inherent order of things, since time immemorial. Having pored over medieval maps, Gommaar’s recent paintings reflect their own innate sense of structure with their winding walkways, abstract brushstrokes and varied painterly interventions. In each painting there are distinct yet abstracted symbols: flora, celestial stars, a figure, all of which are there to take on a symbolic not literal meaning. Lines, full of color and emotion connect these symbols- making the workings of walkways or “mind maps” visible. Once immersed in a dreamy dreamscape by Gilliams, one is drawn into reflection and contemplation. Universal themes of duality, desire and longing emerge; connecting us not only with the artist but also with one another as our “collective memories” merge to create a collective experience.
Gommaar Gilliams was born in 1982 in Lier, Belgium. Graduating in visual arts from LUCA School of Arts in Brussels and having a Masters degree in Painting from PXL College in Hasselt, his large-scale paintings and textural wall hangings fuse American Abstract Expressionism with figurative elements derived from Middle Eastern to European symbolism. Gilliams has exhibited widely across Europe, South Africa as well as in solo exhibitions at De Buck Gallery in New York, Saint Paul De Vence and The Cabin LA residency in Los Angeles. His work was recently featured at the Green Art Family Foundation as part of a curated flashback of Danny First’s, The Cabin. Moreover, Gilliams has also won numerous national awards in Belgium including the Ernest Albert Grand Prize (Grote Prijs Ernest Albert) in Mechelen and the Prize of the City of Harelbeke (Prijs van de stad Harelbeke). He lives and works in Hasselt, Belgium.
In other news, Gommaar recently had a solo show in London with Arusha Gallery, he has also just finished a residency in South Africa with SMAC and continues to be shown in his native Belgium at fairs such as Art Brussels. Other highlights include that his work was added to the Dior collection, the Gautreaux collection as well as many other esteemed public and private collections.
