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Manuela Klerkx
Spooky: art between dream and nightmare
I remember the first time I came into contact with the work of artists Ron Mueck (1958), Sam Jinks (1973), and Patricia Piccinini (1965), all three coincidentally (or not?) from Australia. Especially with Piccinini's surreal, initially repulsive, hairy figures, I couldn't suppress a feeling of unease. Probably because I had never come into contact with this kind of rather anti-aesthetic beings before. I realized that there was probably a big gap in my general knowledge and blamed myself for not having read enough comic books or manga. I think it was at that same Venice Biennale in 2001 that I first saw the work of Ron Mueck in the form of a seated young man - an exact representation of the human body but in terrifyingly large dimensions of almost five meters tall - who stared at me with big eyes. His gaze had an intimidating effect on me while also eliciting feelings of empathy. It was very confusing, but probably that was the intention. Meanwhile, there are more artists whose work - like that of Mueck, Jinks (known for his sculptures of fragile, almost translucent figures that seem to float between life and death) and Piccinini - unite contrasts that can leave the viewer quite unsettled. But unlike the aforementioned sculptors, the artists in this Collection take you to worlds where carnival and gothic graveyards, Japanese culture and pin-ups, taxidermy and Walt Disney characters coexist. Their hyperrealistic and surrealistic sculptures, photographs, and paintings toss you back and forth between dark nights and euphoric days, fairies and monsters, feelings of desire and fear. So fasten your seatbelts…
2 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 10 Oeuvres disponibles
5 Spectacles ᛫ 0 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
As a child, French artist Ciou (1981) was already fascinated by birds and Disney characters - especially Bambi - skulls, and stuffed animals. On her instagram account she describes herself as an artist, a toy collector, a Japan addict and a tattoo addict. In her paintings and pen drawings, artists like Frida Kahlo, Mark Ryden, Camille Rose Garcia, and Gustave Doré, can be recognized in recurring themes such as nature, death, metamorphosis, paganism, and beauty. Ciou characterizes her art as Necro Kawaï, with Necro standing for the dark side and Kawaï for the sweet side of life. Her style is a mixture of European, American, Mexican, and Japanese influences, resulting in a fantasy world in which attractive nymphs, phantasmagorical animals, and anthropomorphic plants come together in a unique way.
Represented by Koch x Bos Gallery
Represented by Koch x Bos Gallery
0 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 7 Oeuvres disponibles
1 Spectacles ᛫ 0 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
The work of Margriet Breevoort (1990) is driven by the questions she asks herself about the anthropocene era and its consequences for the planet. Her hyperrealistic sculptures testify to a hybrid species of beings that are executed in the smallest details, as a mixture of human and animal elements, and depict a rather dystopian image of the future. Although sometimes they have something endearing, their skin looks like that of a piglet, and that just doesn't cuddle as nicely as, for example, a cat's fur. In Breevoort's world, AI and other hyper-advanced technological developments seem to have already taken over the world of humans and animals - as we knew it until now. This has led to the emergence of creatures that may resemble humans and animals, but are not. Anatomically, they simply do not match. With her hybrid creatures Breevoort seems to insinuate that, in order to survive, all living creatures will have to adapt to new times in which our chances of survival - due to unresolved climate changes and an overpopulation - will disappear as long as we won’t adapt to new living conditions, even if that has disastrous consequences for the bodies of humans and animals as we have known them so far.
Represented by NL=US art
Represented by NL=US art
Heddy-John Appeldoorn
0 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 22 Oeuvres disponibles
1 Spectacles ᛫ 0 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
Heddy John Apeldoorn (1975) apparently prefers the loneliness and silence of a withdrawn life to that of a busy city dweller who can never live in the moment and always has to be alert to his/her fellow human being, whether it is a neighbor, an (ex)partner or a colleague. Apparently, city people have a more negative view of humanity than rural residents. A safe and peaceful environment do have a positive effect on people, as all research shows. And that is easy to understand when you consider that we used to live permanently in the fly-, fight-, or fawn-mode to survive. Meanwhile, the world is safer than when we were cavemen or at least, it seems that way, or maybe not. The figures that Apeldoorn paints do not seem to feel at ease. Even the dandy and the lady with pearl necklace, who are often depicted as hedonists, look dissatisfied as if they have something to hide. The expressive portraits of Apeldoorn's tormented characters do not seem to feel at home in the world they live in. A feeling of alienation arises at the sight of these lonely souls who, like Apeldoorn, may feel more at home in the pure world of loneliness and silence than in that of splendor and appearance.
Represented by HEEJSTECK#
Represented by HEEJSTECK#
0 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 22 Oeuvres disponibles
5 Spectacles ᛫ 1 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
In an article from 2020, Harma Heikens writes aptly: ‘The realistic, virtuously painted canvases of Anya Janssen [1962, red.] resemble film stills: they seem like fleeting, meaningful fragments from an indistinct but still familiar larger story whose plot remains uncertain. Under the surface of the canvas, there is a suggestion of movement. Her protagonists, often depicted in fairytale-like, surreal settings, are so minutely characterized that you might think you recognize them, but their identity remains as ambiguous as the drama in which they figure.’ Indeed, that ambiguity and the suggestion of evil, the obscure and unfathomable are never far away in Anya Janssen's oeuvre. In her unique style, she paints characters who stare at you questioningly while at the same time they seem to want to keep you at a distance. On the one hand, they attract you with their magical, perfect, young bodies, and on the other hand, you already see the approaching end of their youth in their eyes. As if the artist wants but cannot believe in eternal beauty. Because her protagonists are too fleeting and elusive for that and the surreal world in which they reside is too uncanny.
Represented by TORCH Gallery
Represented by TORCH Gallery
0 Éléments multimédias ᛫ 33 Oeuvres disponibles
4 Spectacles ᛫ 0 Points forts ᛫ 0 Recommandations
The narrative art of Spanish artist Enrique Marty (1969) could be summarized as a comédie humaine that does not shy away from dark elements. His sculptures are three-dimensional portraits based on molds of real people, but also resemble figures from traditional sculpture, including the baroque. In addition to being a sculptor, Marty is also known as a painter in the tradition of 20th-century Spanish painting, even in the areas of theater and set design. His earlier works show elements from gothic pop culture, punk, and trashy horror films, while his recent work is historically layered. This is something he shares with his generation of Spanish artists who live and work in the post-Franco era, in which a new Spain emerged that wanted to rid itself of its old demons and heal old wounds. Marty's historical awareness makes his figures human and vulnerable: on the one hand, they are proud to be who they are, but on the other hand, they seem like ‘outsiders’ who have difficulties finding their place in the world of the ‘ordinary people’. Regardless, the technical skills of the artist shine through in his paintings and bring his sculptures to life. For better or worse…
Represented by Keteleer Gallery
Represented by Keteleer Gallery