When the Fog Comes Down

When the Fog Comes Down is a comprehensive exploration of the practice of Belgian artist Chris Meulemans, authored by Koen Leemans. The book delves into Meulemans’ career-long investigation into the human urge to manipulate and control our environment — a theme she navigates through a unique blend of figurative elements and abstract techniques. Her recent paintings centre on botanical motifs, using plants and flowers as a vehicle to evoke the fragility of both nature and the structures of everyday life.

In many of Meulemans’ works, the image seems either to be emerging or dissolving. It is as if one is looking at something that has not yet assumed a fixed form, or whose contours are already disintegrating. This indeterminacy is deliberate. She does not paint to represent something precisely, but to evoke a state: a moment between control and surrender, an in-between phase in which process and form become visible together, and every interpretation remains open.

The publication highlights Meulemans’ characteristic use of grid patterns as a discrete reference to science and the human drive to categorise and study. Through a process of intuitive layering and “visual-poetic” construction, her works create an uncomfortable yet mesmerising context that invites viewers to project their own narratives. Released in conjunction with her exhibition at CC De Werft (Exhibition space de Halle), this book situates Meulemans’ work within the contemporary art landscape, emphasising her movement between various media — including painting, drawing, and collage.

Text in English and Dutch.