For 17 years, Antoine Waterkeyn has been developing his practice intensively.
He moves mountains into research, documentation, reading, and conversation, which gives tremendous depth to his work. His interest goes as much to the broad heritage of Western traditional/elitist cultural history as to alternative sources and ways of thinking that remain prevalent in vast segments of the population. The reading of tarot cards, for example, is not foreign to him, and he places substantial faith in an alternative society that is sincerely connected to elements in life that are dictated by fate and chance.
As a figurative painter, he is substantially pursuing a sincere and personal visual language, averse/far from all conventions and strategic positioning prevalent in the art field. Antoine Waterkeyn treads an authentic track in art and allows himself a transhistorical approach. From the images he picks up and incorporates into his paintings, he lets the energy flow spontaneously. Painting-wise, he constantly explores mediums and techniques. He views his work as iconoclastic and permanently exposes it to self-criticism. It must evolve, advance, go somewhere...
Furthermore, Antoine's work is transdisciplinary. Imbued with literary aspects, his paintings evolve into freestanding sculptures, theatrical props, sets, installations, etc. Videos, performances, and “interactions” emerge from his free imagination and groundbreaking attitude laced with humor, sarcasm, and healthy criticism of himself and society.
(Patricia De Peutter)
