Verstraten Aline

• Born in 1996, Eksel, Belgium
• Lives and works in Belgium

Aline Verstraten first studied psychology before turning to painting. Her interest in the human psyche keeps resonating through her works, as she is fascinated by the psychological interactions between the painter, the viewer and the painting itself. This is also apparent in the choice of her subject matter. She uses her everyday surroundings as a starting point for her work, but takes a distance from these in her paintings through changing the light, partly abstracting the spaces and/or using her partner without revealing any specific details about their relationship. In this way, she uses her daily life to create an intimate relationship between the painting and the viewer. This is enhanced by the small size of her works, which encourage the spectator to view the paintings up close. However, the paintings never grant the viewer complete access, no matter how close he or she gets. This dynamic relationship of attraction and withdrawal has been a lifelong fascination and is since February 2022 the subject of her PhD research in painting at U Hasselt and PXL-MAD.