MONIQUE BECKER
Córdoba, Argentina.
I believe that beauty isn't a substance in itself
but rather a sketch of shadows,
a play of light and dark created by
the juxtaposition of different substances.
Junichiro Tanizaki.
Who dwells in the dark?
The narrative unfolds on immense, white, and luminous canvases spread out on the floor or against the studio wall. On this snowy surface, artist Monique Becker begins her ritual, unveiling the secrets hidden in the act of painting.
Her initial visions trace figures derived from nature; however, their shapes gradually blur under the layers and veils of thick paint that she insistently layers onto the canvas, transforming it into the texture of leather or tree bark.
The action is vigorous; Becker paints with intensity, and her gestures merge with the paint on the canvas.
What was once a luminous landscape now turns into a realm of shadows and mystery.
This instability from one world to another, the new geography of traces of figures and shapes that remain nearly invisible yet latent in the depth of the material, is the territory Becker knows, contemplates, feels, and inhabits.
According to the esteemed Japanese thinker Junichiro Tanizaki, beauty does not reside solely in light. On the contrary, the essence lies in capturing and learning to appreciate objects veiled by reflections, finding fascination in the softness of darkness to shield us from all that glitters.
In Becker's paintings, subtle hues of greens, pinks, and blues overlap, fold, and grope their way to a delicate play of modulation and the darkness of shadows.
For the exhibition, the monumental canvases are displayed suspended, highlighting the thinness of the stripped fabric and the boundary of the pictorial language that becomes an object.
As visitors walk through the works, the image and metaphor of a forest emerges as a possible interpretation and analogy. The forest opens a portal to other dimensions: an impenetrable, mysterious, and labyrinthine space—a place to get lost, isolate, and forget oneself, but also where one can rediscover and undergo catharsis.
Becker's imagination and narratives lead us to dreams and magic, to the possibility of the unexpected, to appearances and ghostly specters, to the ancient and timeless sounds of the wind and earth's echoes.
Monique Becker's work explores these poetic universes, endowing them with the singular beauty of depth, density, and the abyssal.
Luz Novillo Corvalán
Curator
About the Artist
Monique Becker (Luxembourg, 1958) is a contemporary artist with a promising career, who looks permanently for reaching the excellence in her creations. Her permanent goal to improve herself and perfect her technique, make her a non-stop professional who experiment and explores permanently in different ways.
Even she painted her entire life, she had the chance to study and form herself by the hand of big Artists, as the prestigious Prof. Hermann Nitsch (Germany), Prof. Markus Lüpertz (Austria) and Siegfried Anzinger.
Monique’s works present an ongoing exploration of the colour black in contrast to white and grey shades, as well as earth tones. The artist creates poetic large formats in which utter physical commitment and a close engagement with the canvas are required. Inherent in the artist's paintings are a high degree of spontaneity as well as a dynamic use of brushes, body parts and colours. It is not uncommon to see relieflike elements in the artist's paintings, high- lighted by the full use of her body, but mostly her hands, revealing claws and scratches. The artist brings forth a vibrant festival of colors - black, white, grey, ocher, brown, pale pink, olive green - and inflamed movements that captivate the viewer. The artist is expressing freedom and “a joie de vivre” by superimposing and the coexistence of paint layers and materials. Monique’s paintings evoke a sensual intensity and are charged with emotions. The artist focuses on herself and her sensations, which are often shaped by her engagement with nature.
Known for her black paintings, Monique have also surprised with a series of white paintings and even some others with strong colours. Nevertheless, nothing is ever black or white. The white and the more figurative are usually hidden under the many layers of paint.
Her works are part of important private and public collections (MUDAM- Musee d’Art Moderne Luxembourg-, Ministère de la Culture, Luxembourg, and more). Currently, she lives and works in Luxembourg.
Art works I Exhibitions
2023
Luxembourg Art Week, Booth Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
“Pink Chair ” , Solo show, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
2022
Konschthaal Museum Esch, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
“Where the sky is pink and the grass is green”, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
Luxembourg Art Week, Booth Valerius Gallery
Paper Positions Berlin, Booth Valerius Gallery, Berlin, Germany
BAD+ Bordeaux Art & Design, Booth Valerius Gallery, Bordeaux, France
2021
Salon du CAL 2021, Group Show, Luxembourg
“SEND NUDES!”, Solo Show, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
Luxembourg Art Week, 12-14 November, Booth Valerius Gallery,
2020
Salon du CAL 2020, Luxembourg
Group show, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
“NAKED IN THE DARK”, Solo show, Hesper Kierch, Luxembourg
Luxembourg Art Week, November, Booth Valerius Gallery , Luxembourg
Art Fair Dijon, France / 8 - 10 October, Booth Valerius Gallery
2019
Salon du CAL 2018, Luxembourg
Solo show, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg 2017
Galerie Schlassgoart, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
2018
Salon du CAL 2018, Luxembourg
MONIQUE BECKER, Solo show, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
2017
Salon du CAL 2017, Luxembourg
Opening show, Valerius Gallery, Luxembourg
Galerie Anarkia, Reykjavik, Iceland
Abschlussausstellung von Prof. Lüpertz, Kolbermoor, Germany
9e Biennale d’art contemporain, Strassen, Luxembourg
2016
New Jorg Gallery, Kalmthout, Belgium
Galerie, Kunst am Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin, Germany
Abschlussausstellung von Prof. Hermann Nitsch, Kolbermoor, Germany
Projects I Site specific Installations
2020 Bâtiment 4, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
2020 Fuelbox IV, Group show, Howald, Luxembourg
2019 Aal-Esch, Collective Exhibition, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
2018 LANKELS, Collective Exhibition, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
2017 UECHT, Collective Exhibition, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
2016 ZAEPERT, Collective Exhibition, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
Public Collections
MUDAM - Musée d’Art Moderne Luxembourg – 2021
MINISTERE DE LA CULTURE, Luxembourg – 2020
