Herman Maes (b. 1959, Kinshasa) is a Belgian artist living and working in Hasselt. His work – ranging from paintings and drawings to installations and assemblages – moves in the twilight zone between abstraction, imagination, and reality.

Raised in an artistic family, Maes studied painting at the Provincial College of Limburg and was awarded the Godecharle Prize for Painting at a young age. Since then, he has exhibited internationally, taught for many years at the Heusden-Zolder Academy, and played an active role in artist-run initiatives such as NICC.

Maes refuses to be pinned down by style, concept, or recognizability. He embraces the full visual language of painting, exploring tensions between opposites and questioning identity and meaning. Nothing is fixed – only the material sets boundaries.

Here: selection of exhibitions

Alongside his artistic practice, Herman Maes is also active as a curator, with a particular focus on overlooked art and the historical avant-garde in Belgium.

Here: selection of exhibitions