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In the summer of 2024, the Pet Shop expo pays tribute to the beloved pet. During spring, we launched an open call for animal portraits. All the submitted works now form this marvelous exhibition at the 'Oud Huis' of Kunsthal Gent. From paintings and etchings to textiles, in all possible formats and styles. In this interview series, participants Agathe Dananaï, Suzanne Corcessin & Hanna Ilczyszyn share the story behind their work.

Until 20 October 2024, you could submit your work for ‘Driedee’. This open call gave artists a chance to exhibit in a group show with works that play with the tension between length, width and depth in a quirky way. How do the jury members look at the entries? How does their own artistic background determine their preferences and choices?

For Elisa Van Strijthem, her sketchbook is a travel companion that helps her capture experiences and memories. She noticed that the sketchbooks she used to fill during walks and trips became increasingly important for her practice. This led to Gaandeweg, a thick book she presented as her master's thesis. For A paper / a day 2024, we visited her to browse through the sketchbooks that preceded it. 'I learned that drawing makes me more aware of my surroundings.'

October is a month full of drawing experimentation and fun. A paper / a day invites you to go wild with pencil and paper for 31 days. Jef Staut indulges in his sketchbooks. For him, they are a playground and a place to create freely.

As with most draftsmen, Gerrit Matthijnssens uses pencil and paper to create his drawings. But there is another protagonist: Gerrit uses sheet copper to create an ode to impermanence in his drawings.

Lize Crauwels finds grip on working in her sketchbook. With markers and bright colours, she shapes her emotions on paper. Although it is often about hiding, there is a lot to discover in Lize's sketches. For A paper / a day 2024 we visited her studio. ‘You can let yourself draw “badly”, that can trigger a lot.’