Double Trouble

With Double Trouble, Albert Pepermans unveils a new body of work developed since the summer of 2025. At the heart of the exhibition lies the concept of the diptych: paintings conceived as twins, yet never identical. Every repetition introduces a subtle variation, a shift in gesture, colour, rhythm or composition. Whether mirrored or not, each work asserts its own distinct identity.

Repetition has long been a defining thread throughout Pepermans' practice. A child of Pop Art, he was captivated early on by printmaking, serial imagery and the rhythm of recurring forms. Over the decades, these have evolved into a personal vocabulary of almost iconic symbols. In Double Trouble, however, repetition becomes more than a formal device. Rather than reproducing an image, Pepermans explores how the same idea can be reborn, each iteration revealing a new possibility.

The choice of subject matter also marks a subtle shift. Where movement and the human figure once dominated his work, a greater sense of stillness has entered his paintings. A fruit bowl, a cactus, a houseplant, seemingly ordinary motifs that reward slow and attentive looking. These are not traditional still lifes, but quiet moments within an oeuvre long characterised by its expressive energy. As Pepermans approaches his eightieth birthday, his work has lost none of its vitality. Instead, it has grown increasingly distilled, seeking clarity, simplicity and essence.

Alongside the paintings on paper, the exhibition introduces Pepermans' first bronze sculpture. Conceived as the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to making art, it can be seen as a personal trophy celebrating craftsmanship, endurance and unwavering commitment. Here too, duality emerges, a pair of bronze twins that appear identical at first glance, yet reveal themselves as singular works.

Approaching eighty, Albert Pepermans remains driven by an undiminished artistic curiosity. His impulse to experiment, combine techniques and continually reinvent his visual language has been a constant throughout his career.

Double Trouble is not a retrospective, but a celebration of artistic renewal. It reminds us that repetition is never merely repetition, it is transformation. Because good things come in pairs.