In this frieze running along the walls of the exhibition space, Pieter Chanterie captures a typical walk through the streets of Brussels. Drawing on the visual language of beauty salons, he depicts stylish shoes, brightly colored wigs, and other details sourced from hair and massage parlors. Referencing the often distorted and barely legible calligraphy found on shopfront signage, Chanterie imagines a world where interior and exterior spaces blur. Within the frieze, he paints characters who inhabit this in-between space—such as a woman taking a bath, or another seated in a beauty salon—creating a narrative that feels both intimate and phantasmagorical.
In 2023, Pieter Chanterie returned to painting after spending a significant period focused on installation work. Fascinated by angels—their mysticism and symbolism—Chanterie envisioned a series in which these spiritual beings venture into human spaces. Appalled, intrigued, and amused, they explore the materialistic and superficial pleasures of human life. This imagined encounter between the spiritual realm and the everyday world amplifies the contrast between the profound and the trivial. With this series, Chanterie poses a simple yet resonant question: What would angels think?