We are delighted to welcome you back to Chit Chat: an evening centered on encounter, dialogue, and creativity. The seventh edition will take place on Thursday, February 12, in the studio of Nicolas Van Parys. After a one-month residency in Varanasi, India (November ’25), he experienced a profound immersion in a unique visual culture and environment. The city’s intense visual richness and spiritual energy will have a fundamental influence on his forthcoming creations. This experience forms the fertile ground for the translations onto canvas that now lie ahead, in which the essence of Varanasi’s layered reality and dynamism will resonate throughout his work.
Van Parys’s practice restructures paper and paint into layered collages that explore the boundaries of transformation. His artworks, composed of fragments from books and magazines, merge classical painting with contemporary visual culture. They offer a poetic commentary on our digital age, advocating a return to tangible experiences. Through rich textures and a restrained palette, he defends the enduring power of the handmade against the fleeting nature of digital imagery. His art invites reflection and serves as a reminder of the beauty of the tactile world.
Van Parys has two studios, one of which is based at NUCLEO. For this edition, he welcomes us into his studio at Edgard Blancquaertstraat 2 in Mariakerke.
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About Chit Chat
The concept of Chit Chat is simple: each time, we gather in a different studio, where all conversation topics are welcome. Whether you wish to share your working process, discuss doubts and challenges, or simply exchange thoughts on creativity — anything goes, in a relaxed atmosphere with a bite and a drink. There is no obligation to present your own work; you are just as welcome to listen, join the conversations, and enjoy the inspiring setting.
Our aim is to build a close-knit and supportive artistic community, where we can share both the highs and lows of being an artist.