WATCH OUT WORLD, HERE COME THE BELGIANS!
Holiday time… a time to hop on a plane and see the world – or to explore the beauty of our own country. And wherever we are, it’s good to see that our Belgian artists have made a great impression on the rest of the world. We chose six of them, from well-known icons to talented newcomers, who are showing their work in the big fashion and cultural cities of the world. From dance and performance tot sculpture and visual art – watch out for the Belgians!
JAN FABRE
The work of artist, director, choreographer and designer Jan Fabre is just about everywhere. Not only does he participate in numerous group exhibitions, his glass sculptures are shown in his solo exhibition at the 57th Venice Biennale.
The exhibition tells the history of Fabre’s work, with his glass and bone pieces, produced between 1977 and 2017, representing a philosophical, spiritual and political reflection on life and death.
Apart from this, Jan Fabre’s theatre company Troubleyn is on tour with their play ‘Belgian Rules/Belgium Rules’. The premiere will be held at the Impulstanz Festival in Vienna, where the public can also take part in open classes.
From September, the play can be seen in Belgium.
DIETER ROELSTRAETE – DOCUMENTA 14
Curator Dieter Roelstraete is a member of the curatorial team for Documenta 14 in Athens and Kassel in 2017.
From 2003 until 2011 he was the curator of the Antwerp Museum of Contemporary Art (MuHKA), where he organized large-scale group exhibitions as well as monographic shows. Today, he is the Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago.
Documenta is an exhibition of contemporary art that takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. Each Documenta is limited to 100 days, which is why it is often referred to as the “museum of 100 days”. The exhibition is on a level with the Venice Biennale, Art Basel and Skulptur Projekte Münster, which all run simultaneously.
HANS OP DE BEECK
Sculptural artist Hans Op de Beeck produces large installations, sculptures, films, drawings, paintings, photographs and texts. His work is a reflection on our society and the universal quest for the meaning of life. Op de Beeck wants to stimulate the viewers’ senses, and invite them to really experience the images. He seeks to create a form of visual fiction that delivers a moment of wonder, silence and introspection.
The retrospective ‘Out Of The Ordinary’ at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg is one huge work of art. On the 2200 square meters of exhibition hall, including its upper gallery, visitors can immerse themselves in the fascinating world of Hans Op de Beeck’s art. The exhibition shows factories and suburban buildings that house a selection of the artist’s most important installations and videos.
For ‘Les 10 ans du Prix de Dessin de la Fondation d’art contemporain Daniel & Florence Guerlain’ at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Op De Beeck made a personal selection of his work to be shown there. This exhibition is part of the Prix de Dessin, showing the work of several of the winning artists. With this prize and exhibition, Daniel & Florence Guerlain want to put one of the most spontaneous forms of art in the spotlight. Drawing, after all, is at the basis of visual art, architecture and design.
kunstmuseum-wolfsburg.de
hansopdebeeck.com
NEL AERTS
Artist Nel Aerts is one of the upcoming Belgian talents. She works with different mediums: performance, painting, drawing, sculpture, collage and artists’ books, reflecting the world around her and her position in it as an artist. Aerts shows a great sense of humor in the way she connects her environment and art world to the poetic, funny, tragic and absurd world around her. Aerts works together with Carl Freeman gallery in London, where her second exhibition is currently being shown.
ANNE TERESA DE KEERSMAEKER
After her studies in Brussels and New York, artist Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker created her first work of choreography, ‘Asch’, in 1980. Two years later De Keersmaeker founded the Brussels dance company Rosas and her ‘Rosas dances Rosas’ has become a classic. Her choreographic work explores the connection between dance and music. With Rosas, she created an extensive body of work, using musical structures and scores from different eras, from ancient music to contemporary compositions and pop music. Her work is inspired by geometry, mathematical themes, nature and social structures, resulting in a unique take on the body’s movement in time and space.
This Summer Anne Theresa De Keersmaeker is touring worldwide with ROSAS DANST ROSAS, A LOVE SUPREME, VORTEX TEMPORUM, RAIN and BACH. CELLOSUITEN (WORKING TITLE).
FANTASTIC ART IN BELGIUM
The exhibition ‘Fantastic Art In Belgium’ is shown at he Bunkamura Museum in Tokyo. It gives an overview of 500 years of Belgian art history, beginning with Flemish paintings from the end of the 15th century, through 19th-century symbolism, to contemporary Belgium art. A wonderful exhibition, showing, amongst others, the curious creatures of Pieter Bruegel, the masks and skulls of James Ensor and the strange landscapes of René Magritte.
WORDS BY STEPHANIE DE SMET