Stefan Peters (°1978) is a Belgian artist who creates imaginary vistas and installations that trade conventional notions of time and space for a more meditative atmosphere. His colors are evocative, while his forms don’t hold onto any specific geography. The landscapes don’t allow for much grasp. Peters’ oeuvre is geared towards an open-ended perspective, driven by an eager exploration of the materiality of contemporary painting. In his interconnected series, light becomes color and color becomes light. The artist doesn’t chase romanticism, but, rather, he presents works that play a confusing game with our perception. Take, for instance, his ‘Google Earth’ series, where he manipulates images sourced from the eponymous website, adjusting them layer after layer using painterly laws. The images are real while they are not, and at the same time perhaps more real than their source.
As the artist’s attention further shifts towards matter, his focus simultaneously tilts more and more in the direction of suggestions and the background. The composition is carried by a color gradient that looks almost digital, but is nonetheless clearly painted. With contemplation on his radar, the artist is aware of how we feel at the top of a mountain: far away from ourselves but never closer at the same time. It positions the viewer’s perspective at a distance from the world, allowing them to look at their nook in the universe. It is reminiscent of classical Chinese landscapes with small philosophers who are “wandering while lying down,” rooted in the idea that looking at paintings of mountains is good for the soul. But Peters doesn’t add any figures. The spectator can take on that open role.With Fearful Symmetry, Stefan Peters presents his first solo exhibition at Galerie Zwart Huis. The artist presents fresh pieces from his ‘Vistas’ series alongside the newly introduced ‘Symmetry’ series stemming from the former. The exhibition’s title draws inspiration from William Blake’s poem, The Tyger, where the poet contemplates the contradictory nature of the tiger, describing it as a paradox between beauty and fear – referring to it as ‘fearful symmetry.’ The tiger’s striking gaze, elegant harmony, and poised balance juxtapose its potential for destruction. This raises questions about the coexistence of beauty and malevolence, reflecting on the Creation and our world at large – something that resonates in Peters’ latest work.
Like a sequence of inkblots from a Rorschach test, the multiple-mountable diptychs evolve into increasingly abstract forms, almost unrecognizable from their original selves. Stacked horizontally, they evoke the illusion of a tranquil water surface; aligned side by side, they conjure a panoramic vista; and when positioned vertically, they unveil a disorienting universe. Like a kaleidoscope, these panels invite spontaneous associations, revealing shapes that seem to materialize out of thin air, introducing an otherworldly dimension that’s open to be explored by the subconscious. Both panels are painted simultaneously – one with the left hand, the other with the right. This is a new approach for Peters, who otherwise holds his brush with his right hand only. From afar, the symmetry appears to be nearly flawless, yet upon closer inspection, viewers may find themselves ensnared in the intricacies of brushstrokes, pondering which half is the original and which the duplicate. The fact that Peters is part of an identical twin adds an additional layer of complexity to this approach.
The video How to Land on Earth adds another dimension to the paintings. With philosopher Timothy Morton’s concept of the hyperobject in mind, Peters integrates ecological concerns in between the paint and pixels. While an object has a specific property, a hyperobject embodies ideas that surpass human comprehension. Global warming exemplifies this notion, as does discarding a plastic cup; though it disappears into the trash for the individual, it of course still exists. The video and its presentation reflect the presence of what lies beyond our immediate perception, while compromising readability. You can feel something shift without fully comprehending what that may be. Here, the tiger’s paradox is connected to the Anthropocene, a geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth until now – humans, after all, embody a similar duality of beauty and destruction. Does our accountability diminish when we fail to fully grasp the repercussions?
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Fearful Symmetry coincides with Stefan Peters’ first publication on his ‘Vistas’ series and its iterations. The book features contributions from Hans Op de Beeck and Claire Leblanc, along with an interview by Stef Van Bellingen.
Stefan Peters (°1978, BE) lives and works in Hasselt. He studied Graphic Design at the MAD Faculty in Genk, BE, from 1996 to 2000, and in 2015-2016 he was a participant of the Jan van Eyck-Academie in Maastricht, NL. In 2016 he was a laureate of the STRABAG Art Award in Vienna, AT. Solo exhibitions include: Subverted Expectations (2016) at STRABAG Artlounge, Vienna, AT; Phantasmagoria (2019) at C-mine, Genk, BE; Are we there yet? (2020) and Private Paradise (2022) at Galerie Roger Katwijk, Amsterdam, NL; and Fearful Symmetry (2024) at Galerie Zwart Huis, Brussels, BE. His works were featured in Coup de Ville in Sint-Niklaas, BE (2016 and 2024); NYFW in New York, US (2016); Storytelling in UNC Gallery, Seoul, KR (2016); The Spring Exhibition in Charlottenborg Kunsthal, Copenhagen, DK (2017); Biënnale van de Schilderkunst in Mudel, Deinze, BE (2018); Vincent van GoghHuis in Zundert, NL (2019); Landschap 2.0 in De Domijnen, Sittard, NL (2020); Close-up on Belgian contemporary art in Degroof Petercam, Luxembourg, LU (2021); IVY / Vuur in mij, in Korsele, BE (2023). In 2013, Peters was a resident at the Emile Van Dorenmuseum and at C-mine in Genk, BE; in 2018 at AIR Chateau de Suronde, Rochefort-sur-Loire, FR; and in 2019 at Van Gogh Artist In Residence, Zundert, NL.
