Matthieu Claus

Matthieu Claus (°1977, Kortrijk) lives and works in Ghent, where he balances his artistic practice with his role as an art educator. He obtained his Master’s degree in Fine Arts Printmaking from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent. During these formative academic years, the foundation was laid for his deep fascination with composition, layering, and the expressive power of the line. His artistic perspective was further broadened during this time through an Erasmus exchange program in painting at the Academie Minerva in Groningen (Netherlands), an experience that planted the seeds for his eventual transition from the printing press to the canvas.

Although Claus’s roots lie in the printmaking tradition, his oeuvre has evolved organically into a highly distinctive and autonomous painting practice. In his Ghent studio, he explores how abstract, fictional landscapes can emerge from industrial matter, waste materials, and the 'memory of the surface'. His process-driven methodology—where photography, collage, and painting intersect—revolves around a continuous balancing act between control and chance, between the strict graphic grid and poetic abstraction.

The work of Matthieu Claus is characterized by series such as The Sculptural Thinking  (Het Sculpturaal Denken), in which minimal and deliberate interventions fundamentally alter the perception of existing, often chaotic industrial structures. His paintings and mixed-media works are regularly featured within the Belgian art landscape. His work has been curated by Jonas Vansteenkiste for exhibitions at De Clercq-Ginsberg Art Gallery (2025) and during the Kortrijk Art Weekend (2026), and he recently participated in projects like Air Biekorf 10.0 at the Poortersloge in Bruges. His evolving oeuvre can also be closely followed via his Instagram portfolio @matthieu_claus_. In the near future, you will also be able to book a studio visit at his workspace with NUCLEO in Drongen-Baarle.