Dirk De Keyser is a Belgian sculptor who creates his sculptures in bronze and ceramics. Born in 1958, he studied at the Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunsten, Eeklo, under Leo De Buijsere. Professional sculptor since 1985.

In a time and climate where creativity was considered a worry rather than a virtue, young Dirk De Keyser found it difficult to decide which direction to take in his life. Like many boys his age, he was sent to learn a trade and was destined to go to work in a factory. However, other horizons called to him, and that is how he ended up at the Royal Academy of Ekloh. It was there that he discovered his predilection for bronze. It became more and more apparent that bronze would be Dirk's only means of expressing his innermost thoughts and works of art. Fascinated by such great sculptors as Georges Minn, Constantin Meunier and Auguste Rodin, he reinvented and explored the possibilities of the then almost lost art of the "lost wax" method. In contrast to his influences, Dirk eschews the classical idiom form and manages to develop his own language in sculpture. For this reason, his art cannot be attributed to certain movements or movements.

Dirk De Keyser's most important source of inspiration is no less than life itself. He turns the world into an alternate, parallel universe in which all problems, big or small, are compensated for. In doing so, he deftly avoids the pitfalls of childishness or naivety, with boundary-crossing, positivism and out-of-the-box thinking being the key words. This is particularly evident in the fact that his figures could belong to all cultures or none at all. They seem to give a whole new meaning to the term 'universal man', emphasising individuality and diversity over physical characteristics, cultural differences and temporal changes.

Humour is another important aspect of De Keyser's work. He firmly believes that humour, rather than negativity, is a more powerful tool in combating the shortcomings of our modern society. A disarming smile that stimulates tolerance and the ability to relativise. In these hectic times, De Keyser's sculptures force the viewer to reflect on his or her unbearable ease of being. A moment of self-reflection that calls for a small escape from everyday life.

They are snapshots of the artist's alternative world, inviting the surprised viewer to enter that world. By creating, Dirk experiences a kind of therapeutic effect and tries to project it onto his viewers. Despite using his own unique language, De Keyser manages to envelop recognizable, universal issues such as the achievement of happiness, beauty and harmony in an inimitable yet accessible manner. In this way, the artist tries to strike up a conversation with the observer, in which, as in real life, the emphasis is not always on the goals, but on the means of achieving them.

By dirkdekeyzer.com