Stijn Cole is a multidisciplinary artist. Cole’s practice is based on the relationship between the artist and his position in the landscape. Through a process of analog and digital art forms, he often works with the fluctuating impact of time and light on a specific environment.
By combining these changing states of nature into single compositions, the artist speaks of elusive and expansive moments created from subjective viewpoints. The relationship between the object and its environment is central to his work. Light—not the medium—is crucial, as the way we experience color and form is largely determined by the intensity of light they are exposed to. Stijn Cole continuously applies this knowledge when creating his work. He always reduces his images to their purest essence. His choice of medium is eclectic: video, sculpture, painting, mixed media, photography, and printmaking. In addition to abstract work, he also makes figurative art. In Cole’s universe, themes like time and landscape painting gain renewed beauty, translated into a contemporary version of Impressionism. Each new series is linked to a specific period, walk, or journey, giving it an almost documentary quality. The artist describes his contribution as modest, merely a filter he places over reality. But with utmost precision and subtlety, he challenges the viewer to take on an active role. In this manipulative game, he entices the viewer into an experience of intensity, space, and form that proves surprising time and again.
Stijn Cole took part in the group exhibition (expo)nentieel at DeNode (2024–2025, curated by Hilde Van Canneyt).