Physics and painting appear to have nothing in common with each other. Yet artist Dirk Vander Eecken and scientist Stef Van Tendeloo have effortlessly bridged the gap between the two. Dirk Vander Eecken’s doctorate is inspired by a series of black and white images given to him by Stef Van Tendeloo. Nano-science and painting: an intriguing but not a very obvious combination.

Dirk Vander Eecken (* 1954 in Mortsel) cooperates closely with the research group of electron microscope technology and nanotechnology of the Department of Physics at the University of Antwerp. His experimental approach yields innovative work in which painting, graphics and science mutually influence each other. In 2008 he obtained the first doctorate in the Fine Arts at the University of Antwerp. This event went hand in hand with a splendid exhibition at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp.

The grids and patterns used by Dirk Vander Eecken, are constantly resulting in abstract, almost undefinable paintings. These works possess many layers, and therefore make way for unlikely possibilities. It is this quality in his paintings that refer to the visible and the invisible, to finity and infinity. The optic construction confuses, because the grids and patterns stay so dominantly visible, while the endless depth reaches to infinity. All references are meaningless, just a new (non)image remains. (Axel Vervoordt)

Artist book in a limited edition of 200 copies.