Gommaar Gilliams was born in 1982, in Lier, Belgium and currently lives and works in Hasselt, Belgium. Gilliams graduated in Visual Arts from LUCA School of Arts in Brussels in 2013, and in 2016, he obtained a Master of Arts specialising in Painting from PXL MAD School of Arts in Hasselt, Belgium under the mentorship of Koen Van Den Broek. Gilliams’ oeuvre is a full-bodied exploration of painting, sculpture, and printmaking. His work takes direction from the frescoes and folklores that span our collective memory; foxes, swans, night skies and crescent moons indicate a playful return to myth and mirth. Gestural brushstrokes embolden his canvases, all of which are instantly recognisable for their patchwork cross-stitching, and perceptive balance of light and dark. 

Gilliams has exhibited with numerous international galleries, including Gallery Sofie Van de Velde in Antwerp, Belgium; De Buck Gallery in New York, USA; Arusha Gallery in London, United Kingdom; and SMAC Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa. His introduction to South Africa was formalised by his residency with SMAC Gallery which culminated in his solo exhibition, Celestial Garden, in 2024 in Cape Town. He has also exhibited at fairs such as Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Art Brussels, Art Antwerp, Chicago Expo, and the Biennale of Painting among others. In 2023, Gilliams participated in the Fores Project Residency in London, UK, and in 2019, he completed the La Brea Art Residency in Los Angeles, USA. In the same year, he was awarded the Ernest Albert Grand Prize in the city of Mechelen, Belgium.

 

Notable solo exhibitions include: Yesterday’s Blooming at Art Antwerp with Gallery Sofie Van De Velde in Antwerp, Belgium, Moonstruck with Galerie Italienne in Paris, France, and Eight Lullabies with De Buck Gallery in New York, USA. Group exhibitions in 2023 include: Investec Cape Town Art Fair with SMAC Gallery in Cape Town, South Africa, SP-ARTE fair with Nil Gallery in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and The Cabin LA Presents: A Curated Flashback, a curated exhibition by Danny First at the The Green Family Art Foundation in Dallas, USA. Other exhibitions also include: Sunkissed, Moonlit with Gallery Sofie Van de Velde in Antwerp, Belgium and Under Cassiopeia with De Buck Gallery in New York, USA - both in 2022. Fly Me To The Moon with Nil Gallery in Paris, France in 2021. To date, two catalogues have been published: Sunkissed, Moonlit by Gallery Sofie Van de Velde in 2021, and Issue 4 of Artsin Square’s independent artist-run publication in 2023.