13 september 2024, Yves Joris
Knights and soap bubbles in a fragile choreography
In her exhibition What the B*BBLE at Art Gallery De Wael 15, Amber Geuns explores the contrasts between the fleeting and the eternal, the strong and the fragile. She creates a surreal interplay between light, floating soap bubbles and knights dressed in delicate armour made of paper and foil. These knights, traditionally symbols of strength and protection, face off against the airy, transparent ‘enemies’ dancing through the air. In this silent battle, light and shadow reflect off the shiny armour as the fragile soap bubbles appear and then disappear. Each moment seems to slip away, captured through the lens of Geuns' art, creating a universe of wonder and mystery.
Asterisk, symbol and mystery
With its unique spelling, the title What the B*BBLE adds layers of meaning. By replacing the 'u' with an asterisk, Geuns seems to be introducing a form of censorship or mystery into the word, as if the true meaning is hovering just out of reach. This creates a double layer of meaning: something playful and light is disrupted by an implicit hidden element. The choice of ‘B*BBLE’ instead of the full word ‘bubble’ suggests that what we see—or think we see—is not complete. There’s something missing or unspoken in every situation. The asterisk serves as an invitation for the viewer to fill in the missing link, perhaps with personal meaning, or to reflect on the many layers of interpretation we can assign to something as simple as a soap bubble.
Another interesting interpretation of the asterisk is that it acts as a metaphor for how we deal with vulnerability or impermanence. Rather than presenting a fully formed idea, something is left open—a void, a pause, a possibility. The absence of the letter suggests that perfection, completeness or control is an illusion. Like a soap bubble, our ideas and certainties can change or disappear at any moment, with the asterisk reminding us of that intrinsic lack of stability.
Amber Geuns Soap Dreams, 2024, Art Gallery De Wael 15
The dance of the knight and the bubble
As you walk through the exhibition, a confrontation with your own impermanence becomes more palpable. The knight, a symbol of strength and steadfastness, seems invulnerable, but is juxtaposed against the delicate beauty of a soap bubble. The bubbles, dazzling in their fragility, are elusive and uncontrollable, much like time or dreams. They disappear as quickly as they appear, but in that brief moment, carry an entire universe within them. Amber Geuns allows us to see that strength does not always prevail; sometimes it is impermanence that leaves the greatest impression, that moves and enchants us.
As in her previous exhibitions, the artist has created her own armour, a symbol of protection and the constant battle for survival. But how do you protect yourself against something that has no fixed shape? How do you fight against the air itself, against something weightless and so fleeting that it’s nearly impossible to grasp? In her work, the knight and the bubble are not so much enemies as dance partners. Together, they perform a poetic choreography of light and air, of reflection and movement.
Amber Geuns, For the Love of my bubble, 2024, Art Gallery De Wael 15
A dream of struggle and light
The inspiration for this new exhibition came to Geuns in a dream in which the knight suddenly appeared. The armour she has created is both a physical and mental construct based on historical and cultural references. The soap bubbles, on the other hand, with their playful and unpredictable nature, serve as a contrast, almost a counterpoint to the knight. But when they come together in these works of art, they form a narrative about impermanence and the ongoing struggle to find meaning in the fleeting.
The strength of her work lies in the unexpected combination of elements. The heaviness of the armour, the play of light on metal and the fragile, shimmering beauty of the soap bubbles create a visual experience that is both playful and profound. It raises questions about our own need for protection and the unavoidable reality of decay and transience. The story Geuns tells us is one without a clear beginning or end. It is a snapshot, a glimpse of something that is constantly changing. As Geuns herself says, she doesn’t plan, but allows herself to be guided by what feels right in the moment. This freedom of form and content is reflected in the work itself, where the knight and the bubble are engaged in an ever-evolving dance.
As you move through the exhibition space, it almost feels as if you are part of the story. You see yourself reflected in the soap bubbles, which in turn mirror the light from the armour. You find yourself caught between the tension of the robust and the fragile, the solid and the fleeting. Geuns’ work is not a passive experience, but an invitation to lose yourself in a world she has created. You walk alongside the knight, follow the bubbles and perhaps discover something about your own struggle to find meaning in a world full of transience.
Amber Geuns, The quest, 2024, Art Gallery De Wael 15
A visual adventure
With What the B*BBLE, Amber Geuns masterfully crafts a fragile, dreamlike atmosphere in which the intangible becomes tangible and strength and protection are playfully undermined. The work is a visual adventure, leading you into a world in which light, air and reflections merge to invite you to see life’s details anew, to appreciate the beauty in the fleeting and the poetry in the everyday. The exhibition makes us aware of the fragility of our own bubbles and the poetic beauty of the elusive, teaching us to look at the world around us with fresh eyes.
