Patrick Vanden Eynde (b. 1964, Ninove) is a Belgian painter with a coherent but stylistically diverse oeuvre. In 2019, under the title Cold Fusion, he exhibited a new series of works in which he confronted sculptural objects with large, figurative paintings. In this series, Vanden Eynde uses filmic strategies to enhance the visual experience of his works. The artist drew inspiration from THX1138 (1971), the first film from the director of Star Wars, George Lucas. More specifically, he became fascinated by the iconic final scene in which the main character, who escapes from a dystopian world, seems to merge with the huge setting sun in the background. Particles (2019) is part of the Cold Fusion series and comprises three elements: a large canvas painted with oil paint, a silver-coloured ring made of polyurethane, and a staff made of honeycomb cardboard in the same colour. The dark canvas shows two greyish celestial bodies floating in a void and serves as the backdrop to the gleaming sculptures that recall science fiction artefacts. With this, the artist calls into question the evolving status of painting. The fact is that in classical art, painting was valued more highly than sculpture; whilst during the heyday of the film industry, painters chiefly contributed to the creation of sets.
