Yves Zurstrassen: Décollage

Annely Juda Fine Art, London presents the gallery’s first exhibition of major works by Belgian artist Yves Zurstrassen (b. 1956 in Liège, Belgium).

Known for his experimental techniques and dynamic compositions, Zurstrassen has spent over four decades redefining the language of abstraction. He blends spontaneity with meticulous craftsmanship, creating works that resonate with rhythm, gesture and a profound sense of temporality drawing inspiration from lyrical abstraction, abstract expressionism and the unstructured improvisations of free jazz. At the heart of Zurstrassen’s practice is a process that combines collage, décollage and contemporary digital tools; using stencils crafted from perforated wallpaper, designed through computerized calculations, he layers paint, applies the stencils, and then removes them, revealing fragments of earlier layers. This interplay of addition and subtraction creates a complex visual archaeology, where the final visible elements often reflect the first applied. His use of rhythm and repetition infuses the paintings with a musicality that feels both dynamic and organic, while the tension between physicality and precise design gives an enigmatic quality to the work.