Nikolaas Demoen is active in various fields: painting, video art, performance, collage, multimedia installations, art editions, and poetry. In his visual, silent world, the artist often emerges as the central figure, sometimes hidden behind a mask or appearing disguised as an enigmatic “birdman.” Demoen takes us through his labyrinth or plays a game with the curtains of the stage. There is sometimes a literary/philosophical dimension present, with references to writers such as Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, and others. In some of his assemblages or collages, he uses luxury fashion magazines as a commentary on the glamorous spectacle society with its globalized ideal of beauty.
In the silent dialogue the artist engages in with the audience, the mask is a crucial element: it seems that the artist can only be himself when he looks at the world through the eyes of the mask. The poetic, melancholic mask is meant to express the artist’s artistic essence and enables him to take on various forms. Playing with the mystery surrounding the artist can only heighten the viewer’s fascination. (Translated from a text by Frank Maes)