Annelies Van Damme's work fearlessly navigates the intersections of power, gender, sexuality, and violence, challenging viewers to confront these often hidden dynamics. This exhibition offers an immersive experience with her monumental and provocative paintings, where raw emotions and stark truths are brought to light.

Annelies Van Damme (°1998, Brussels, Belgium) is a contemporary artist based in Ghent, Belgium. Her work delves into themes of power, gender, sexuality, and the intricacies of war and crime. Through bold painting and provocative imagery, she confronts societal norms and personal experiences, often teleporting her own naked body into found footage of pornographic websites or other violent resources. She aims to investigate a very fake sexualized world and a very real violent one, ultimately seeking to show how the two are more often than not one and the same. Annelies shamelessly rips open wounds her audience prefers to ignore. In doing so, she manages to evoke raw emotions and provoke thought, inviting viewers to reflect on their perception of gendered power dynamics and their own complicity in this violence. Her paintings are monumental and bright, dripping in paint and sometimes torn and damaged with nails. When standing in front of one of Annelies’ paintings, it is hard to look away. The viewer is forced into the violent dynamic that confronts them, with the choice: to keep watching or to walk away. Verduyn is pleased to welcome you from October 20 to December 1, 2024, on Saturdays and Sundays from 14:00 to 18:00, or by appointment.