past exhibition

MARIE-PASCALE GYLDMYR: Paul, I would now like to talk about your drawings. I assume drawing has been a basic component of your education, but I wonder when you began to see drawing as a fully-fledged, stand-alone medium?

PAUL GEES: Painting was my first form of graphic activity, but in 1986 I took up drawing as a new form of autonomous expression. Those stand-alone drawings were made on request. My personal motivation was to go beyond mere sketches and develop a personal style in this area. In that regard these first drawings were autonomous, because they 'visualised' the philosophy or themes in my wiork in a virually identical way. The drawings are not and never have been preliminary sketches for, no illustrations of potential sculptures — have more potential to be transformed into sculptures and installations. 

m.p. For years, your drawings have been exhibited alongside your sculptural work. Are they, in your view, of equal or less importance than your sculptures, or are they complementary?

p. These explorations in drawing occur in phrases and are prompted by a kind of necessity or consciousness. Due to the scale 

of the drawings and by literally using the borders of the drawing paper and its framework as a spatial boundary, they are just as important as my sculptures & installations. In that respect, they are also complementary and allow me to visualize that which is imaginable, but not necessarily executable or attainable. They are neither preliminary sketches, nor construction plans.  

m.p. In these drawings too, you use all kinds of material...

p. I use various flat materials in my drawings. Most are based on graphite mixed with some oil, so that ut appears more substantial and gradually blends in with the surface: the graphite is absorbed by the paper and the oil spreads slowly and uncontrolled across the drawing. There is an element of coincidence that helps define the expressive result. Acryl, oil stick, iron, galvanised metal, brass or copper are also used to draw with or glued onto the paper. These materials symbolise volume, weight, conductivity and the architectural-sculpture. They represent the industrial, the cultural, whilst graphite stands for all things natural, flowing, powerful, energetic. Together, they express real or imaginary tensions. 

excerpt cat. paul gees