Richard Saltoun Gallery will present a solo booth dedicated to Belgian artist Ria Verhaeghe (b. 1950), debuting the 40,000 series from the 1990s alongside new paintings on canvas and board.
The highlight of our presentation will be new paintings from Verhaeghe's ongoing Verticals series, which were recently presented at SANT2024, Cultuur Centrum Brugges, and previously at the Museum of Fine Arts in Gent in 2017 and the 5th Moscow Biennale in 2013. Drawing on Verhaeghe’s collection of some 60,000 cataloged newspaper photographs and clippings entitled Provisoria, this series of paintings incorporate images of dead or ‘horizontal’ bodies, giving them new life by turning them into Verticals. Embedded within Verhaeghe’s uniquely composed matrix of meaning and narrative, the figures thus appear as ethereal, abstracted forms that dance and float against striking backgrounds layered with gold leaf.
Verhaeghe’s practice spans across painting, sculpture, drawing, collage and video, primarily concerned with giving new importance to images and photographs of death and tragedy in national and international newspapers that are often quickly discarded and forgotten. As a mostly self-taught artist, Verhaeghe’s work is heavily influenced by her studies in music history and professional background as a nurse. Her practice has a strong focus on public projects, participation and collaboration with different groups and audiences, such as young people, adults, senior citizens, refugees and prisoners.
