Arpaïs du Bois

Arpaïs Du Bois (Ghent, 1973) lives and works in Antwerp. She studied visual arts at Sint Lucas Antwerp and has taught there since 2003. An important aspect of Du Bois' work are the sketchbooks that function as diaries.

The dozens of cahiers in which Arpaïs has drawn incessantly over the past decades constitute her oeuvre. The often abstract, minimalist drawings are the direct reflection of an endless series of ideas and insights, which occasionally get an extension in a (larger) work separate from the sketchbook. The drawings arise quickly and spontaneously, with the (French) words and phrases combined with the images blending into a whole. The drawings are sharp and ambiguous and, with a minimum of means, she manages to touch the viewer. They can be seen as moments of stillness and contemplation that offer the viewer opportunities to frame chaotic reality, brimming with impulses and impressions, and thus make sense of reality.

The exhibition ‘Dans la chambre à murmures’ (in the whispering room) will consist of 80 drawings from the sketchbooks and 12 large works that will be given a spatial display. As the title suggests, visitors can also expect one or more sound works.

Arpaïs Du Bois is represented by Gallery FIFTY ONE, Antwerp.