This thought formed the starting point of the exhibition Faces and the Naked Portrait, on view from 6 to 8 March 2026 at WG Kunst. Not as a slogan, but as a guiding principle in the studio. What happens when someone shows themselves, without status or position, without attributes, without protection?

Régis Gonçalves rarely paints nudes. During his studies at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and later in his Master in Artistic Research at the University of Amsterdam, he explored the human body mainly in relation to image-making and history. In an earlier project about his grandfather, he deliberately placed the naked body in contrast with stereotypical representations of the Black male body.

The paintings raise questions. Did the model pose in the studio? Was the work based on a photograph or on memory? These questions remain deliberately open. The focus shifts to the reaction of the viewer. What do you see when someone literally and figuratively exposes themselves?

Faces and the Naked Portrait invites you to look without prejudice. To allow a first reaction, and perhaps a second.