06 february 2025, Emily Van Driessen
What remains and what vanishes in the excavations of Gideon Kiefer
Gideon Kiefer (b. 1970, Belgium) constructs memories much like an archaeologist reconstructs the past: layer by layer. His paintings, sculptures, and drawings question how memories are formed and how the recorded collides with the imagined. In his new exhibition, 'The Fragile Excavation' at BARBÉ Gallery, he digs both literally and figuratively into the past, leaving the viewer in a state of uncertainty.
A free zone from the past
For this solo exhibition, Gideon has radically transformed the space at BARBÉ Gallery. A large platform fills the gallery, housing a crawl space inspired by the basement of his childhood friend in Neerpelt. This was their secret hideout, a place where, as teenagers, they withdrew from the outside world. Gideon calls it a "free zone", a place without supervision, where they could smoke, drink, and do nothing at all. The car seats in the reconstruction are inspired after the original ones: old Mercedes seats that once stood in the cellar.
Next to the installation lies an excavation report, in which Kiefer documents his fictional ‘archaeological research’. Each element from the excavation is numbered and described, complete with measurements and locations. The illusion is further reinforced by a series of bronze stones, presented as if they were unearthed from the crawl space, each marked with exact GPS coordinates. Yet, in reality, they reference entirely different locations from Gideon’s youth, subtly destabilising the reconstruction and further blurring the boundaries between authenticity and fiction.
Gideon Kiefer, Bronze Stone 527, 2025, BARBÉ
Paintings as traces
Gideon’s paintings depict desolate landscapes with sunken structures in nature, often rendered in unsettling, unnatural colours. The imagery oscillates between hyper-detailed precision and abstract paint strokes. Parts of the canvas remain unpainted, exposing the raw surface beneath. On these empty spaces, he inscribes observations, references, and poetic fragments of text, adding further layers to the works. This interplay creates a sense of alienation: the painting never fully reveals itself, meaning remains in flux, and his visual clues are as much misdirections as they are signposts.
His social commentary lingers beneath the surface. In one of his landscapes, for instance, a ‘climate pause button’ appears, an ironic addition, a playful yet disruptive element within the image.
The Fragile Excavation, BARBÉ
Monotypes as momentary marks
Above all, Kiefer is a draughtsman and was recently nominated for the Prix de dessin de la Fondation Guerlain 2025, a prestigious award recognising the most innovative drawing practices in Europe. His drawings form the backbone of his artistic practice and remain integral to his work, even as he ventures into other media.
In 'The Fragile Excavation', he presents not only paintings and sculptures but also seven monotypes, small-scale works created on the inside of a milk carton. These monotypes served as preliminary studies for the paintings in the exhibition.
Monotypes are a form of printmaking that yields a single, unrepeatable impression. Unlike etching or woodcut, which allow for multiple identical prints, a monotype produces only one. This technique ties seamlessly into Kiefer’s artistic concerns: a fragile, ephemeral imprint of something on the verge of disappearing - just like memories, just like nature.
Gideon Kiefer, Untitled, 2025, BARBÉ
