Alain Cauchie

At the outset there was the question of format. The geometry of the rectangle has long seemed to me to be a straitjacket rather than a productive constraint, and this has led me to pursue pictorial that sometimes flirt with the sculptural.

After using polyester tracing paper for a number of years, in 2015 I found the ideal (so far) medium: expanded polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheeting, which clings well to acrylics, is lightweight and has the advantage of being white, which makes it possible to produce colours. It can be cut with scissors or a cutter, and can be deformed to produce reliefs using a heat source.

Once the shapes have been painted (first with drips, then in various ways over time) and then cut out, the assembly process begins, as in sculpture. The shapes are added together, juxtaposed, superimposed, and this eventually results in a viable whole. The dynamic syntax of colour and form is, more often than not, at the heart of each work's autonomy, which thus dispenses with the need for a horizontal or vertical base.

The pieces that make up these works can unfold in relief in front of the wall, rest on the floor, be separated by empty spaces, or clump together completely. Remains frontal and colourful. It's always painting.