Antwerp-born artist Ben Sledsens presents a new body of work, An Apple for the Road, where saturated fields of color meet methodical pattern. The paintings suspend time: a swan hovers over its tinted reflection, a woman is caught mid-step at her front door, and vivid still lifes let clouds and soft breezes drift through open windows. The exhibition is on view from September 3 to October 10 at Tim Van Laere Galler in Antwerp.
Patterned worlds and fleeting calm
Sledsens often begins with drawings on paper, then translates the most salient details to canvas. Repetition and the visual power of pattern drive these compositions, whether built from grasses and leaves, brick, dense thickets of willow trees, or the tiles lining a boating dock. While bold in color, the oil-and-acrylic paintings are quiet and intimate, inviting viewers into domestic spaces and serene pockets of landscape. Opting for soft light and the haze of dusk, Sledsens pairs recognizable imagery with the sensation of a fleeting moment, prompting questions about what holds our attention and what details might remain just out of reach.
Selected works and materials
The series spans canvases and works on paper, combining oil and acrylic or using oil paint alone, and underscores Sledsens’ focus on atmosphere, rhythm, and motif.
- Swan and the Willow (2025-2026), oil and acrylic on canvas, 190 x 250 centimeters.
- Lily in the Blue Pond (2025), oil and acrylic on canvas, 180 x 150 centimeters.
- Evening Light (2026), oil and acrylic on canvas, 140 x 130 centimeters.
- Eight Pink Roses (2025), oil paint on paper, 106 x 75 centimeters.
- A Three Masted Ship (2026), oil and acrylic on canvas, 200 x 160 centimeters.
- Still Life in a Yellow Room (2026), oil paint on paper, 106 x 75 centimeters.
- Blue Window White Flowers (2025), oil and acrylic on canvas, 115 x 85 centimeters.
An Apple for the Road brings together these scenes and motifs in a cohesive presentation at Tim Van Laere Galler in Antwerp from September 3 to October 10.
