Jacqueline Mesmaeker studied fashion and design in the 1960s before going on to teach at various educational institutions. At the same time, she continued her visual arts training at ENSAV in Brussels and further developed her skills in painting, three-dimensional space and urban space through studio-based practice. As a visual artist, she then focused on installation, video and photography. She has written, drawn and designed throughout her artistic career. Mesmaeker often plays with time and space, and with visibility and illusion. Her work is deeply layered as a result. What we are shown belongs to a specific place but, at the same time, is also present in the here and now. Mesmaeker grants us a spatial presence in absent moments. In this way, she shares fleeting experiences of the past with us, while also incorporating us into their manifestation in the present moment. This strange contrast forms a common thread in her oeuvre.
