Albert Willem (1979-) is a Belgian contemporary artist who became popular on social media Instagram in 2020 for his wall graffiti art, which led him to his first collectors.
Known as a self-taught artist, he can hardly be criticized from a traditional artistic approach. Unaffected by the academic system, his work is less constrained by the rigid conventional regulations, embracing more teasing and humorous elements, and features on topics such as “Comedy”, “Wit” and “Black humour”. Nevertheless, it would be a pity to arbitrarily define his work as superficial, for it is his genuine intention to depict and deconstruct the social life of the 21st century, as the tragedy of reality is reflected by every figure’s face in his work.
Looked into from a different angle, Willem's work references various earlier artistic styles, taking inspiration from the witty humour of Bruegel Pieter Sr. and the matchstick figures of Laurence Stephen Lowry, while the bright and bold colours are influenced by Fauvism. Represented by "The Boxing Match" (2021) and "The Funeral" (2021).
His works adopt powerful contrasting colours and simple, vivid lines, attempting to make an irrational satire on the real world and to alert the public of the true state of mankind. The “little matchstick figures” with their vivid facial expressions have become an integral and iconic element in Willem’s art, while his creative language continues to be explored and developed.