JOREN
VAN ACKER
JOREN VAN ACKER
Joren Van Acker (°1994 Gent, Belgium)
is a young visual artist who resides and works in Evergem/Ghent.
In his formative years, Joren studied at the Sint-Lucas Art Academy, after which he also obtained his Master Degree for Fine Arts at the Royal Academy For Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent.
In the last few years, Joren has developed a personalized theme within his work. Whether it is a simple portrait of a labourer, a scene of a forlorn control room full of radars, or a heavily loaded freighter that is slowly disappearing into the sunset; the scenes that Joren Van Acker captures on paper are characterised by a certain tension. A tension that could be described as one second in time where everything threatens to change. In the years 2021-2022, when the world seems more sealed off and unreachable than ever, Van Acker succeeds, like a present-day Jules Verne, in transporting us to a world filled with discovery and imaginative technologies.
However, in contrast to Verne, Van Ackers’ imagery of ships, barns, submarines and control rooms are based on a tangible reality. One that he explores while endlessly browsing through books, documentaries and archives. On the other hand, this was ingrained in him from an early age, through experiences in the small harbour cafe of his grandparents. It was there that his fascination with the boundless waters was established. The initial illustrations that Van Acker drew in charcoal served as an ode to this special place. Thus, his art intertwines glimpses from the past, present and future.
From this, Joren utilises a seemingly endless image archive; spending countless hours reading books and researching archival footage that spark an inevitable attraction to a specific image. Subsequently, every scene is meticulously selected to fit exactly how it will be captured on paper. This is how the artist, much like a film director, enacts complete control. While every illustration he creates can firmly stand alone, it also functions as a new chapter to an ongoing story.
For his monumental drawings Van Acker works with charcoal. The photographic nature, contrasting black and white's and dizzying perspectives give the viewer something to gaze at.