is a Belgian visual artist who lives and works in Antwerp.

Born 1988, he studied painting (MFA) at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, followed by a postgraduate degree in artistic research (MANAMA) at Sint-Lucas, Both in Antwerp, (BE).

In the first place Ruben Boeren is interested in the bold act of painting itself. His main interest lies in a pure form of painting. As such his artistic research unfolds by figuring out what painting is or can be and how one interprets form and translates it into a painterly equivalent.

The series on this site consists out of big-sized formats in which he explores the dramatical and theatrical composition and in which way it can evolve to a narrative on its own. Although the inspiration for these compositions often come from the old masters of painting he adds new meaning by interpreting them in a contemporary and personal way. Often this results in an alienation of the underlying composition and a symbiosis of the figurative and the abstract.

'Because of this semi-figurative / semi-abstract morphology, there's still a sence of interpretation which allows me to develop an own kind of symbolism.'     -Ruben Boeren-

Besides this rather classical medium he developed a personal crossover between digital and analogue collage which came forth out of earlier work. This dialogue has its specific place in the process and often functions as a study for his paintings. Also it fits in a bigger picture of his research: the bridge between the old and the new and how it can be translated into the mute language of the image.

When it comes to presentation, often his work is accompanied by audio which enriches the experience of the visitor. In the past he collaborated with sounddesigners to let his work interact with an extra component of sound. This results in a new universe in which the spectator is invited to submerge. His exhibitions are evolving into over-all experiences where the medium of painting gets a central place.

Above all, the artist celebrates the joy of painting and portrays this upon his audience.