28 july 2025, Flor Linckens
The monochrome universe of Hans Op de Beeck at the KMSKA
Until 17 August, visitors can immerse themselves in the enchanting world of Hans Op de Beeck at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp. In the exhibition 'Nocturnal Journey', a hushed world unfolds in which the boundaries between dream and reality begin to blur. The Belgian artist, represented by Galerie Ron Mandos, invites you into a deserted nocturnal park where human figures, animals, nature and objects appear to have been halted in time. Here, frozen moments form a melancholic landscape. Visitors feel as though they themselves become part of this all-encompassing installation.
Op de Beeck’s mysterious work is instantly recognisable for its monochrome visual language. Rendered in his signature palette of greys, the sculptures seem to be covered in a layer of dust that suspend them outside of time. His creations resemble memories: fragile, poetic and at times disquieting. These grey tones dominate the exhibition, giving the impression of echoes from the past or glimpses of a parallel reality. In his monumental installations, fiction and recognition constantly intertwine, like a dreamscape where logic and proportion have lost their grip. His theatrical figures and settings feel familiar but bear no direct link to reality. The viewer is invited to surrender to that elusive aspect.
His poetic work touches on universal themes such as transience, time, and the human longing for control, beauty, solace or meaning. With each new work, he carefully chooses the medium that best suits the story he wishes to tell, ranging from sculpture, photography and film to drawing, sound pieces and animation. His materials are employed in such a way that they acquire a timeless, almost sacred quality.
In 'Noctural Journey', life-sized sculptures alternate with oversized objects, as if one is moving through a landscape where scale, logic and time have temporarily collapsed. Familiar emotions and scenes give way to uncanny images that speak to the subconscious. At the same time, the work echoes art-historical themes that link back to the museum’s permanent collection.
A separate screening room features the film "Staging Silence (3)", previously shown at Art Rotterdam in 2020. In it, two anonymous hands construct and dismantle strange miniature sets, suggesting humanity’s capacity for both creation and destruction. Here, entire cities, museum halls, airport lounges and landscapes are conjured from everyday objects. As in his sculptural work, Op de Beeck effectively shows how meaning is in constant flux.
Hans Op de Beeck was born in Turnhout in 1969 and divides his time between Ghent and Brussels. He studied at Sint-Lukas (LUCA School of Arts) in Brussels and the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Antwerp, and completed residencies at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and MoMA PS1 in New York. His work has been shown at Tate Modern in London, Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, Reina Sofia in Madrid, the Shanghai Art Museum and the Scheepvaartmuseum in Amsterdam. In 2011, his installation "Location (7)" was part of the 54th Venice Biennale. His work is held in the collections of S.M.A.K. in Ghent, M HKA in Antwerp, Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar, AkzoNobel and the National Bank of Belgium.
Tip: for those who wish to delve deeper into the artist’s themes, the museum offers various workshops and guided tours in conjunction with the exhibition. Participants are invited to explore ideas of silence, time and estrangement: precisely the subjects at the heart of 'Noctural Journey'.
