Natasja Mabesoone (°1988, Belgium) Lives and works in Brussels
Natasja Mabesoone’s practice is a movement around printmaking, in which she goes back and forth between a conceptual analysis of the medium and a commitment to printmaking, drawing and painting processes. It strings together thoughts on reproducibility and repetition by using the printing press as a sensitive perceptual instrument. Reflections on femininity and its link to crafts, are paired to the cute and to the trivial. For that, she makes use of ‘minor’ aesthetics such as decoration or materials like marker, glitter, fake tattoos, scratch letters and stencils, which maintain a non-hierarchical relationship to underlying soft ground etchings, monotypes, drawings and silkscreens. The work deals with notions of tactility, power and powerlessness. Language is explored as a locus of politics and the erotic – and the social constructions they entail. Language exists as image and image as language, stained and smudged. In both fast and slow production the grammar of printmaking meets girly aesthetics, literary reference and display contexts. Mabesoone seeks authority for these ambiguous and subversive aesthetics, making them a potential resistance; softly destabilising current dominant cultural realities.
Natasja Mabesoone lives and works in Brussels and Ghent. She received a master's degree in visual arts from the School Of Arts, Ghent and took part in the Wiels Residency in 2019. Her works have been presented in institutions such as S.M.A.K., Ghent; WIELS, Brussels, Z33, Hasselt; KOMPLOT, Brussels; Fons Welters, Amsterdam; Intimnoe Mesto, Sint Petersburg and MDT, Stockholm. Her work has been acquired by the Flemish Government for the collection of MHKA Museum, Antwerp.
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Selected Exhibitions
Forthcoming, Solo exhibition, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, BE 'The Wall of She', Group presentation, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, BE 'Painting After Painting - Hedendaagse Schilderkunst in België', Group presentation, S.M.A.K., Ghent, BE 'MIART Art Fair 2025', Group presentation, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Milan, IT
'Predella's Cut', Wiels project space Affiliate, Brussels, BE 'It's all right, don't think twice', Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, BE ‘This is us’, Z33, Hasselt, BE
'perfect ratios', Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, BE 'De Grote Vogelshow', Pizza Gallery, Antwerp, BE 'Of Off Offf', After After, Brussels, BE
'OMG STACYyyyyyy, that type of thing', Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, South, Antwerp, BE Group show alongside Kerstin Brätsch, Ryo Kinoshita, Sarah Księska, and Anh Trần, Galerie Fons Welters, Amsterdam, NL 'Note to self', Group exhibition, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, BE 'Curtain Cabaret, a sequential exhibition', Vroom Space, Brussels, BE 'The Cipher of the Vast Planetary Rumour II, Spațiul Minitremu', Timișoara, RO 'IV', curated by Koi Persyn, Komplot, Clovis SB34, Brussels, BE 'CLUB TERMINUS', with Simon Laureyns, Nazif Lopulissa, Max Kesteloot, Ricardo Passaporte, Benoit Plateus, Tom Volkaert, Oostende, BE 'The Cipher of the Vast Planetary Rumour', Salonul de proiecte, Bucharest, RO Group exhibition with William Ludwig Lutgens and Jesse Van Dun, 3J De Filatuur, Knokke, BE 'QUARTET', group exhibition curated by Alice Vanderschoot, Poortersloge, CC Brugge, Bruges, BE
'Taylloorre', curated by Floris Hoorelbeke, Kings Pistolet, Ostend, BE 'One way or another - 10 jaar Posture Editions', S.M.A.K., Ghent, BE 'Aqueous Humour', Platform 6a by Deweer, Otegem, BE 'De Deur op en Kier', curated by Sybren Vanoverberghe, backyard, Otegem, BE 'Bernice Bobs Her Hair', Island, Brussel, + book launch Posture Editions Wunderwall, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde and PLUS-ONE Gallery, Antwerp, BE 'Tarot Editions', 019, Ghent, BE 'Salon Sale', Level five, Brussels, BE
'STAYCATION', Barbé-Urbain gallery, Ghent, BE 'Zomersalon', Kunsthal, Ghent, BE 'This place / displaced', DMW Gallery, Antwerp, BE 'Ballroom Project', Antwerp Art week, online 'Letters to Process, to Bob and Bernice', curated by Anne Vigeland, MDT, Stockholm, SE 'Bloemen voor Daniëlla', Denderland, Geraardsbergen, BE 'Great Small Works', Stephane Simoens Gallery, Knokke - Heist, BE
'Reflections in transition', Barbé-Urbain Gallery, Ghent, BE 'The road is clear', gecureerd door Bjornus Van Der Borght and Nathalie Vanheule, In De Ruimte, Ghent, BE 'Mars', Media Naranja, Marseille, Paris, Bordeaux, FR 'ArtContest', Espace Vanderborght, Brussels, BE 'Taart in de brievenbus', Taart in de brievenbus, Mariakerke, BE 'Boerenbont & Bonter', Solo, Boghossian Fondation, Rivoli, Brussels, BE 'Hors d’oeuvres', WIELS Residentieprogramma, Brussels, BE 'Een ‘Amerikaans’ worsthondje, Doubts of Hoelang?', with Tim Depraetere, Brussels, BE
'ALL YOU NEED IS THE LAVATORY', Croxhapox, Ghent, BE 'GOLDENBROW', solo, Intimnoe mesto, St. Petersburg, RU 'De Nieuwe Garde', Kunst in Huis, Zuiderpershuis, Art weekend, Antwerp, BE Open Atelier Weekend, Groupshow with buren, Dirk Zoete, Frank&Robbert Robbert&Frank, Peter Aers, Maud Vande Veire, CMMC, Ghent, BE '5 year buren birthday party', Gouvernement, Ghent, BE 'Vuurpeloton', curated by Matthieu Ronsse, Etikhove, BE 'The Peer Group', Social Harmony, Ghent, BE
'Tien om te zien in Aalst', Galerie Van Caelenberg, Aalst, BE 'Op z’n janboerenfluitjes', solo, Barbé Gallery, Ghent, BE 'Tien om te zien', Gevaertsdreef 01, Oudenaarde, BE
'VOSSEN IN DE BOSSEN', In De Ruimte, Ghent, BE 'It’s kind of like she knows how to eat her sand properly', Zeedijk, Knokke - Zoute Fragments d’un discours amoureux, Hommage aan Barthes, Bozar, Brussels, BE 'TUMULT #4', Gouvernement, Ghent, BE 'Zeg Chantal, droom je nog wel eens in het West – Vlaams?', Het Bos, Antwerpen, BE 'No one said it would be this nice', Moeskop, Antwerpen, BE
'In search of De Bedoeling', i.s.m. CLUBHUIS, In De Ruimte, Ghent, BE 'All day I dream about Sabine', Ithaka, Leuven, BE 'I’ll be your mirror', NVT, Ghent, BE 'To draw on a high chair', SMAK, Ghent, BE 'Je t’attends dans la saison de nous deux/ I wait for you in the season that is ours', Kaaisalon, Brugge, BE 'Are you there, yet?', These Things Take Time, Ghent, BE 'Oeillet sauvage', Zierikzee, The Netherlands, NL 'Performer buren by buren by buren', La Bellone, Brussels, SMAK, Ghent, BE 'Pour la fille Zoë D', SOSCASTOA, Ghent, BE 'Singing the lambs to sleep', solo, SEAS, Knokke-Heist Oeillet Sauvage, Bogardenkapel, Brugge, BE 'Petit air', solo, Molen van Callant, Ramskapelle, BE 'The waste land', CC Scharpoord, Knokke-Heist, BE 'Arnoevoo 2011', Mec Staf Versluys, Bredene, BE 'Label #08', Tramzwart, Ghent, BE 'R.M., wytwórca urojén', Entrepot, Brugge, BE 'De nieuwe narratieven', Kunsttoren, Ghent, BE 'Art its', Zwarte Zaal, Ghent, BE
Prizes
Laureate ArtContest, Espace Vanderborght, Brussels, BE
Laureate Ronse Drawing Prize, CC De Ververij, Ronse, BE Laureate Prijs voor Grafiek, 1st place, CC Zwanenberg, Heist-op-den-Berg, BE
Laureate Strabag Art Award, Antwerp, 2017 Laureate Hommage, Bozar, Brussels, BE
Laureate Prijs Buggenhout, BE, 2nd place
Laureate CC Zwanenberg, Heist-op-den-berg, BE
Laureate Harelbeke, BE
Laureate Arnoevoo, 3rd place, Bredene, BE
Natasja Mabesoone La coiffure/Combing the hair (1), 2024-2025 Silkscreen with foundation, skin tint, bronzing powder and concealer, setting spray, EC 73 x 92,5 cm (Framed)
Natasja Mabesoone La coiffure/Combing the hair (2), 2024-2025 Silkscreen, monotype and hand drawn elements with foundation, bronzing powder, blush, lipstick, lip tint, lip pencil, skin tint, contour stick, concealer, highlighter, eyeshadow, cotton swabs, glitter, beauty blender, micellar water, makeup wipes, setting spray, EC, Zoe Ayla brushes 73 x 92,5 cm (Framed)
Natasja Mabesoone La coiffure/Combing the hair (3), 2024-2025 Silkscreen, monotype and hand drawn elements with foundation, bronzing powder, blush, lipstick, lip tint, lip pencil, skin tint, contour stick, concealer, highlighter, eyeshadow, cotton swabs, glitter, beauty blender, micellar water, makeup wipes, setting spray, EC, Zoe Ayla brushes 73 x 92,5 cm (Framed)
Natasja Mabesoone Bird girl's unravelling and re-knitting epic into cheap novella like rom-com erotica —a Penelopean PALIMPSEST, 2022 - 2024 Layered monotypes, colored pencil, ballpoint, marker, sequin alphabet, ribbon and organza flowers on paper mounted on polycarbonate, weaving of ribbons 88 x 123 cm
Natasja Mabesoone A text block is leaning back against the header says it’s just gossip sweetie, 2022 Layered monotypes, oil crayon, silkscreen and graphite on paper mounted on wood 93,3 x 75,3 cm
Natasja Mabesoone cliché/catastrophe, 2020-2022 Layered soft ground etching, coloured pencil and graphite on paper 76,3 x 56,3 cm
Natasja Mabesoone Basically just the ooh’s and ah’s in all caps, 2022 Layered monotype, silkscreen and graphite on paper mounted on wood 82,6 x 114,8 cm
Natasja Mabesoone Poem in which the girl has no door on hr mouth, 2022 Layered monotype, silkscreen and sticker on paper mounted on wood 77,3 x 58,3 cm
Natasja Mabesoone Sleeping in full makeup and other text-heavy drawings, 2022 Silkscreen, layered monotype and oil crayon on paper mounted on wood 77,3 x 58,2 cm
Natasja Mabesoone Blood milk fruit juice and seawater, 2022 Layered monotype and oil crayon on paper mounted on wood 77,3 x 58,3 cm
Natasja Mabesoone Glossy flip-side to this malicious voice, 2020-2022 Soft ground etching, marker, coloured pencil and layered silkscreen on paper mounted on wood 70,3 x 54,8 cm