Catherine Vanhullebusch
Catherine Vanhullebusch laying sheets of hand-painted Japanese paper in pink, green and orange on a table in her Brussels studio
In the studio, BrusselsPhoto: Ellen van den Bouwhuysen
Catherine Vanhullebusch Belgian abstract artist, b. 1978

Minimal from a distance. Richly tactile up close.

Catherine Vanhullebusch builds quiet compositions from ultra-thin Japanese paper that she paints by hand, then folds and layers onto raw cotton canvas. Her work explores the tension between control and freedom, and finds its beauty in what is imperfect: folds, torn edges, visible fibres.

Inside the studio

Fragile by nature.

Paper thin enough to let the light through.

A visitor looks at works by Catherine Vanhullebusch in the solo exhibition Twisted Truth at Pareit.Gallery, KnokkeTwisted Truth, solo exhibition, Pareit.Gallery, Knokke
Two framed works in pale blue and ochre leaning against the wall at Pareit.Gallery, Knokke
The artist’s hand on a folded sheet of hand-painted deep red Japanese paper
Black and white photograph of the artist lifting a sheet of translucent white paper in her Brussels studio
Strips of raw canvas with hand-painted colour swatches on the studio table
Facade of K+Y Gallery in Le Marais, Paris, during a group exhibition with works by Catherine Vanhullebusch
Two works by Catherine Vanhullebusch hanging by the window at K+Y Gallery, ParisGroup exhibition, K+Y Gallery, Le Marais, Paris

Shaped by hand.

Every fold is found through experiment, then kept by deliberate choice.

A large framed work in pale and deep green being carried through the gallery
Detail of a blue work: the folded upper edge of hand-painted Japanese paper on raw canvas, in an oak-veneer frame
The artist’s hand holding a large work with green and blush-pink rounded forms in the studio

“Every work holds its contradictions and imperfections, just like the people looking at it.”

Installation view of Twisted Truth at Pareit.Gallery, Knokke: works by Catherine Vanhullebusch on white walls under a skylight, a black bench and a white column
Installation view

Twisted Truth

On shaping what we see

Recent solo exhibition
Pareit.Gallery, Knokke