Affirming the continuous interconnectedness of the natural and the artistic, Thaens builds androgynous worlds, wherein organic matter becomes interwoven in the threads of creative sensitivity and vulnerability. As butterflies drink the tears of crocodiles, turtles, and birds, the spectator is invited to an intimate meeting between two entirely different entities - nature and culture, biology and poetry - all trying to make sense of the reality surrounding them. In a macrocosm and on canvas, through his painting practice, Thaens instils a shade of romance in the lusterless vastness of the everyday.