Much like Peter Pan trying to pin his own shadow onto his feet, shadows have always fascinated and eluded the people who create them, and artist Fred Eerdekens is no exception.
Eerdekens' art is made from the shadows caused by everyday objects. The results are words and slogans, in typefaces which vary from the ethereal to the graphic.
The Belgian says he was always frustrated by not being about to "draw the whole scene" as an art student. Instead, he chose to visualise the words and adjectives which he associated with his scenes through shadows.
Now, he tells HuffPost UK, the core of his work will always be what is not there.
"Shadow is a memory. When I realised that, in a way, words are always a substitute for the thing itself, it was clear that I should combine the word and the shadow," he explains.
As well as being inspired by the world around him - "inspiration comes when you don't expect it, like looking our of a train window or watching TV" he says - Eerdeken's work is influenced by books, including the work of Samuel Beckett.
As a result, reading forms a large part of the artist's practice: "I get up in the morning and go to the studio and read and write and play with language and shapes."
If you want to see Eerdekens' shadow art in an exhibition you might have a bit of journey on your hands - his solo show opens later this year at the Magda Danysz Gallery in Shanghai.
In the mean time you can check out some of his work below.