In slightly more than ten years, Gideon Kiefer (b. 1970, Belgium) has emerged as a consummate master of drawing. In 2019, the artist launched a new phase, unveiling a collection of exquisite oil paintings on wood. Kiefer constructs a distinctive universe replete with personal and unconventional moments, merging reality with fantasy. These scenes are influenced by the artist's recollections and a profound scepticism over their veracity. While the human dimension is the predominant theme in his works, his drawings and paintings also exhibit a heightened awareness and critique of geopolitics and the prevailing global ecological crisis. Kiefer frequently conveys these topics in a more symbolic manner. In his recent series, he derives influence from Baroque artists like Rubens and Caravaggio, in addition to the Russian realism of Ilya Repin, whom Kiefer recalls from perusing art books owned by his grandpa. He appropriates captivating details, reinterpreting them and imbuing them with new meanings—this process mirrors the functioning of memory. Kiefer employs classical oil painting methods while eschewing conventional surfaces. He constructs intricate tales mostly on wooden panels, typically in a technique evocative of collage. Similar to his previous works, Kiefer incorporates elements like little red rectangles or black dots that allude to injuries or particular narratives. Landscapes rendered with fluid brushstrokes conjure the tiny Belgian village of his upbringing. Handwritten texts disclose interesting substance inside each painting while discreetly conveying his apprehension over climate change and global warming. Kiefer's paintings consistently extend the topics explored in his works on paper; the artist perpetually constructs a distinctive microcosm, navigating the dichotomy of tradition and modernity, personal narratives, and universal critique, alongside the struggle between fact and fantasy.