BRUSSELS.- To Capture evokes dual meanings, both the act of capturing as a form of creation and the framing of the concept. All her works seize stories within their very fabric – they carry narratives, hold memories and reveal emotions embedded within them.

The starting point of Céline Vahsen's work is the heritage of the textile medium, which she transports into the realm of contemporary art.

Her work has been shown in numerous group exhibitions, including the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan, Marres House for Contemporary Culture in Maastricht, Netherlands and New York Textile Month, in the United States. She has held solo exhibitions at E.A. Shared Space in Tbilisi, Georgia and at the Saarländische Galerie in Berlin, Germany. In Brussels, her work has been exhibited among others at Ccinq, Centrale for Contemporary Art, RecyclArt, Pilar, etc. Elsewhere in Belgium at IKOB Museum of Contemporary Art in Eupen, Le Delta in Namur, Barbé Gallery in Ghent and at Fred&Ferry Gallery in Antwerp. She has been artist-in-residence at WIELS (2023), IMAL (2022), Boghossian Foundation (2022), CAB Foundation (2021) in Brussels, as well as at the Frans Masereel Centrum (2024) in Kasterlee, Belgium. Most recently she was artist-in-residence at The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation – Thread (2025) in Sinthian, Tambacounda, Senegal. In 2019, she participated in the Académie des savoir-faire by Hermès Foundation in Paris, France.
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My work is a visual phenomenon that embodies a delicate plastic balance, first evoking an aesthetic response in the viewer. This centrifugal presence with no center point or singular direction captures the gaze and mesmerizes through a symbiotic fusion of texture, tone, and light. The composition invites immediate and frontal viewing while simultaneously revealing intricate details, sensitivity, and multidimensionality. I aim to create a moment where perception is as much about texture as it is about color and form, making the viewing a rather intimate experience.

The title To Capture evokes dual meanings, inviting you to consider both, the act of capturing as a form of creation and to capture as framing a subject and concept.

The starting point of my work is the heritage of the textile medium. With a personal approach, I explore traditional production methods, transporting this legacy into a contemporary context.

My works, like every textile in existence, capture stories within their very fabric – they convey narratives, preserve memories and reveal embedded emotions.

Naturally colored threads pile up rhythmically, in constant movement, line by line – gestures between past and future.

The hues unfold within the compositions and through the canvas surface. They radiate, as if the work can barely contain the energy of the shades within. The work seems to breathe, with a vibrational depth that challenges our perception. Chromatic, fluid and flickering impressions may appear, creating a tangible and pictorial image.

The composition of woven band fabrics – arranged time-fragments, form a visual and abstract image. Mounted onto a frame, I transform the canvas into a painting-like work – un tableau.

Through the act of stretching I define a square format and complete the final step of the work. It is more than a compositional choice, it is also a statement of autonomy for the textile, which becomes central.

The square has established itself as a fundamental geometric form in Western art history, a symbol of modernist experimentation that challenges notions of composition and perspective. While the textile medium is traditionally associated with femininity and craft, here it is elevated into the visual domain, intertwining textile practice with representation and iconography.

By using it as both surface and subject, I try to blur the line between these notions, seeking to transcend traditional image-making and questioning the very nature of an image.