Maruani Mercier presents KASPER SONNE - PEOPLE ARE STRANGE
08/09/2026
September 10 – October 31, 2026
Public Opening: September 10, 2026 from 5 – 9 pm in the presence of the artist
Avenue Louise 430, Brussels 1050
The paradox of iconic contemporary outfits in natural settings, together with the spectral light and the luminous palette in this new body of work projects a powerful sense of the instability of the human condition and questions the possibility of connection with another. As the artist notes, “For me, it's always this conflict – it's about displacement. I create these characters that have no obvious reason to be in these environments.”
In Purple Rain, the composed stance of the protagonist against electric hues of blue and magenta, with her elegant suit and gloves, conjures the sense of a carefully constructed image – a projection of contemporary identity, rather than a portrayal of a specific person. Working in layers, Sonne carves each character from an array of visual sources, from art historical references to fashion advertisements found on social media. Foregrounding quotations from signature pieces of contemporary fashion, the artist uses clothing as a cultural signifier, binding the figures to questions of status, aspiration and belonging...
Kasper Sonne, Skull Earring, 2026, oil on linen | 200 x 150 cm | 79 x 59 in
Kasper Sonne, Purple Rain, 2026? oil on linen | 195 x 250 cm | 77 x 98 in
Public Opening: September 10, 2026 from 5 – 9 pm in the presence of the artist
Avenue Louise 430, Brussels 1050
MARUANI MERCIER is delighted to present Kasper Sonne: People Are Strange, the second solo exhibition of the artist with the gallery, opening on 10 September 2026 in Brussels. Elegant and upright, the figures in this new body of work appear at once in harmony with and in disassociation from the lucid planes of water and sky in the landscape. Looking away in quiet contemplation, the elongated human presence in each work projects an almost mythic quality, as if traversing the space in solitude that feels timeless rather than incidental.
The paradox of iconic contemporary outfits in natural settings, together with the spectral light and the luminous palette in this new body of work projects a powerful sense of the instability of the human condition and questions the possibility of connection with another. As the artist notes, “For me, it's always this conflict – it's about displacement. I create these characters that have no obvious reason to be in these environments.”
In Purple Rain, the composed stance of the protagonist against electric hues of blue and magenta, with her elegant suit and gloves, conjures the sense of a carefully constructed image – a projection of contemporary identity, rather than a portrayal of a specific person. Working in layers, Sonne carves each character from an array of visual sources, from art historical references to fashion advertisements found on social media. Foregrounding quotations from signature pieces of contemporary fashion, the artist uses clothing as a cultural signifier, binding the figures to questions of status, aspiration and belonging...
Kasper Sonne, Skull Earring, 2026, oil on linen | 200 x 150 cm | 79 x 59 in
Kasper Sonne, Purple Rain, 2026? oil on linen | 195 x 250 cm | 77 x 98 in
Kasper Sonne, Vampire, 2026? oil on linen | 220 x 170 cm | 87 x 67 in
