Traces on the Way

"Because of her long experience with the East, both in travel and in study, the eastern element is much stronger and more authentic in her work than it is in the works of other artists. The East is not merely a touch of varnish, it is something that defines her art." - Prof. Dr. Willy Vande Walle. In her first monograph, Nicole Halsberghe provides an extensive overview of her oeuvre of the past 50 years. During her many travels to the East she always had a sketchbook and camera at hand. She captures everything she sees, everything that inspires her, and transforms it into acrylic paintings, drawings and lithographs. Traces on the Way shows how she 'abstracts' subjects, interprets them and makes them come to life. She portrays mankind and their surroundings in an impressive and unique way, from intimate rooms and train compartments to the immense, vast Japanese landscape.

Nicole Halsberghe studied graphic design at Sint-Lucas School of Arts in Ghent, Belgium and was a teacher there for many years. She traveled to the East many times. Intrigued by Asian culture she obtained a doctorate in sinology at the KUL, university of Louvain, Belgium. She has had exhibitions in Japan and is mentioned in the prestigious Walter De Gruyters Allgemeines Kunstlerlexikon: Die Bilden den Kunstler aller Zeiten und Volker, edition 2011.