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Pablo Tomek

Born in Paris, Brussels-based artist Pablo Tomek explores the social positions of the world through gestural paintings. He interprets human predicaments and sociological mistakes through large canvas paintings that are smeared with a blend of metallic colors and thickly textured brush strokes:

‘I just want to evoke the mystery about the mistakes of our society through my work’

Pablo’s artistic concepts are rooted in existential matters like ‘the construction of power’ and ‘environmental mistakes’. And his paintings, in fact, require a physical and intuitive feeling around such subjects which are then applied to the canvas in sweeping evocative movements.

The artist’s work is full of rich layers of interpretation. Mark-making and spontaneous impressions are registered onto the painting’s surface to represent Pablo’s singular emotions of the time. It is therefore up to the viewer to consider the meaning of the composition.

The crowded repetition of thick strokes moving up and down the canvas in one direction could refer to erratic feelings of frustration around ‘people who don’t consider the environmental consequences of their actions.’

Ultimately, for Pablo in terms of viewing his work, the most important thing is the simple act of actually being in front of the art and thinking about the work subjectively, whether ‘it’s in a good or bad way.’

The artwork is constructed using working man’s construction techniques such as industrial sponges or a karcher. The karcher is a pressure washer, traditionally used by screen printers who use the heavy-duty pressure spray to wash off dried paint imprinted onto mesh screens used during the screen printing process. Pablo works between the two processes of painting directly onto the canvas, and using the karcher to wash off the paint, leaving a detailed texture that has become a signature expression of his practice.

‘When I’m painting, I’m working with a physical process which asks me to be completely present and in the moment.’

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