Ingrid Paulussen

The Art of Portraiture Between Painting and Sculpture

Born in 1963 in Genk, Belgium, Ingrid Paulussen has devoted her artistic practice to portraiture for more than twenty five years. A graduate of the Hasselt Academy of Fine Arts, she has developed an instantly recognizable visual language: three dimensional female portraits in which recycled paper, sculpted like clay over acrylic paint, becomes a second skin.

A Signature Inspired by Matisse

Inspired by Picasso's creative freedom and Matisse's iconic cut outs, the artist incorporates paper bags, posters, and pages from antique books onto her painted faces. Each portrait is intersected by a vertical strip of paper, a tribute to Matisse and a symbol of symmetry, beauty, and fragility. Balancing figuration and abstraction, her works explore the strength, mystery, and vulnerability of women.