Weho, Los Angeles
Kristof Santy
Perfect Days
M+BM+B is pleased to present Perfect Days, an exhibition of new works by Kristof Santy. This marks Santy's third solo presentation with the gallery, following a recent show at Casa MB. In Perfect Days, Kristof Santy expands his universe of flattened interiors, stylized gastronomy, and folkloric gestures, delivering a wry and affectionate catalogue of life’s minutiae. Borrowing its title from Wim Wenders’ 2023 film—an ode to repetition and routine—the exhibition continues Santy’s interest in figures and objects shaped by the daily rhythms of work, solitude, and observation. As in his earlier show Hermit (Casa MB, Milan, 2024), Santy remains tethered to the tasks that structure domestic space, but here, a quiet sociability emerges. The world is still structured by habit, but now the artist seems to peek over the hedges. Rendered in Santy’s signature flat style—clean lines, bold silhouettes, and saturated palettes—Perfect Days is populated by icons of the familiar: hamburgers, ketchup bottles, pencils. They are studied, almost affectionate renderings that hover between illustration and memory. The works favor stillness over spectacle, repetition over climax. Their power lies in precision, restraint, and Santy’s ability to elevate without embellishment. As in Hermit, Santy draws on his archive of observational drawings—small-scale, wax-and-pencil studies of tools, plugs, or glassware—which form a kind of design language underpinning his larger canvases. These sketches appear here, not as preparatory fragments, but as equal counterparts, reinforcing the artist’s commitment to distilling form without diluting meaning. Wenders’ film quietly celebrates the dignity of unremarkable days, and Santy’s paintings do much the same. But where Wenders works in cinematic time, Santy compresses and stills. His subjects are caught in an eternal noon—unmoving but never static. They insist on presence through repetition, clarity, and use. If Santy’s paintings suggest narrative, it is one built slowly, one clean surface at a time. With Perfect Days, Santy continues to argue—convincingly—that the ordinary is enough. That attention, not grandeur, is the point. And that painting, when approached with consistency and care, can make even a bottle of ketchup feel like a fully formed character. Kristof Santy’s (b. 1987, Belgium) recent solo exhibitions include Hermit, Casa MB, Milan, Italy; Epinal and Icon, Christine König Galerie, Vienna, Austria; Playtime, Sorry We’re Closed, Brussels, Belgium; Bric-à-Brac, Ter Posterie, Roeselare, Belgium; Home Sweet Home, M+B, Los Angeles; and La Grande Bouffe and Platform, Unit, London, UK. His work has been included in group exhibitions at SMAK (The Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst), Gent, Belgium; Abby Museum, Kortrijk, Belgium; Stedelijk Museum, Hoogstraten Belgium; Trotoar Gallery, Croatia; Belfius Art Collection, Belgium; and Mu.ZEE, Ostend, Belgium.