Tina Gillen
In Tina Gillen’s (b. 1972, Luxembourg) paintings, the subject depicted is often reduced to its simplest elements. Her works present figurative worlds counterbalanced by abstract forms and the back-and-forth movement between these two dimensions wisely balances the great mastery of the pictorial vocabulary and a certain ‘letting go’ in the execution, a certain rigour in the composition and a more intuitive approach. Both surface and space compete for the viewer’s attention, resulting in a complex confusion, a charged atmosphere. The linear perspective appears abolished and the perception unsettled. The point of departure for her paintings is usually located in photographs stemming from various contexts – magazines, the Internet, postcards, etc. – which Gillen subjects to a process of reduction and abstraction: ‘I remove things in order to, paradoxically, reach a certain readability. I emphasize the abstraction by keeping just the strict minimum.’
Chasing Light (2018–19) depicts one of Tina GiIlen's (b. 1972, Luxembourg) favourite subjects, the architecture of private housing. Painted from a photograph of a modernist villa in a suburb of Brussels, the building is depicted in stormy conditions, sharply contrasting the sleek white surfaces of the architecture and its shadowy surroundings, highlighting the abstract quality of the structure.
Artworks
Tina Gillen Häusersequenz, 1996 24 peintures acryliques sur toile et caisse en bois
35 x 45 cm chacune
Collection Mudam Luxembourg
Acquisition 1998
Apport FOCUNA
Œuvre présentée dans l'exposition Le meilleur des mondes (du point de vue de la collection Mudam), 30.01.2010 – 23.05.2010, Mudam Luxembourg © Photo : Andrés Lejona | Mudam Luxembourg
Tina Gillen Sans Titre, 2004 Sérigraphie sur papier
30 x 40 cm
Collection Mudam Luxembourg
Donation anonyme – 2007
© Photo : Rémi Villaggi
Tina Gillen Katrina, 2008 Acrylique sur toile
210,8 x 301 cm
Collection Mudam Luxembourg
Donation 2009 - Marie-Anne et Jacques Loesch
© Photo : Galerie Nosbaum & Reding, Luxembourg
Tina Gillen Chasing Light, 2018-2019 Acrylique sur toile
130,5 x 180,3 cm
Collection Mudam Luxembourg
Acquisition 2019
Vue de l'exposition Windways , Nosbaum Reding, Luxembourg, 2019
© Photo : Tania Bettega / Nosbaum Reding, Luxembourg