Biography
Anita Thevissen
Drawing, gesture and the human figure
Anita Thevissen is a Belgian visual artist whose practice is centred on drawing and works on paper. The human figure lies at the heart of her work, appearing fragmented, overlapping or suspended between presence and abstraction.
Her current practice centres on a distinctive approach to blind carbon transfer drawing. Working with limited visual control, Thevissen allows the human figure to emerge through an intuitive and deliberately unpredictable process. The resulting line becomes less a description of the body than a trace of movement, tension and presence.
Her artistic journey began with drawing and developed more intensely during the years she lived in France’s Pays de la Loire region. During this period, from 2004 to 2015, she also developed her practice in watercolour. After returning to Belgium in 2015, she continued her artistic education and obtained her Visual Arts degree in 2021 following five years of study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Oudenaarde.
Across her practice, Thevissen explores the complexity of human relationships, identity, vulnerability and the tension between control and surrender. Her work moves between figuration and abstraction, while the human body remains a recurring point of departure.
In recent years, Thevissen has moved away from the recognisable figurative imagery of her earlier practice. In her current drawings, the body becomes a starting point rather than a fixed subject: arms, faces and silhouettes intersect, overlap or dissolve, suggesting identities that are never entirely stable. What appears to be a single figure may gradually reveal several presences. Her compositions alternate between quiet, open areas and dense networks of lines. This contrast guides the eye between what is visible and what remains unresolved. At times, figures seem to hold one another; elsewhere, they appear to pull apart. The emotional atmosphere emerges through these relationships rather than an explicit narrative.
Carbon transfer is central to this approach. Working through an indirect process, Thevissen cannot fully anticipate the mark that will appear on paper. She embraces the distance between gesture and result, allowing unexpected crossings, interruptions and shifts in pressure to shape the image. What remains is a trace of movement rather than a controlled outline.
Paper is an active part of the work, not simply a neutral support. Its texture and physical presence influence each line. Thevissen mainly uses fine-art papers, including Arches, in formats from intimate drawings to large-scale works.
The act of drawing calls for concentration and openness to what unfolds. A composition may begin with a fragment of a body and develop into an unexpected constellation of figures. Thevissen resists fixing one meaning: viewers may recognise intimacy, tension, dependence or release, but no interpretation is imposed. Her work invites close attention, giving personal memories and associations room to surface.
Although her visual language is grounded in line, colour occasionally enters through watercolour pigments or oil pastel. These additions are used selectively, introducing a shift in rhythm, emphasis or atmosphere without overwhelming the drawing. The dialogue between line, colour and untouched paper remains central.
Rather than depicting a specific person or event, Thevissen seeks to make inner states visible through the body. Her drawings explore the shifting nature of identity, the desire for connection and the fragile balance between holding on and letting go. They invite viewers to look again and discover meanings that can change over time.
Anita took part in numerous group exhibitions in Belgium and internationally, including a presentation of her work at the Belgian Residence in New York City.