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Vivian van Blerk 1971 - 2024
Représenté par:
Galerie Fontana
Born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1971, Vivian van Blerk has lived and worked in Paris since 1997. His photographs are fictions which unfold in parallel worlds very close to our own. Vivian employs diverse methods. Sometimes he poses actors or arranges found objects before the camera.
To make other images he constructs, sculpts, models and paints. Collage, montage, alternative printing techniques and retouched negatives enrich his photographic universe.
Vivian's curious worlds offer coherent narratives, stories which unite, harmonize and complete the fragmented cultural inheritence he received from Europe under African skies. Since 2017, he makes ceramics too.
I began making ceramics in Lebanon in 2017. Temporary constructions for photographs become finished pieces. Even as durable sculptures , the fictions created remain sealed beneath the brilliant screen of ceramic glaze and remain mysterious, silent and removed from us in time and in space and scale, unattainable like worlds seen through photographs.
Vivian van Blerk
To make other images he constructs, sculpts, models and paints. Collage, montage, alternative printing techniques and retouched negatives enrich his photographic universe.
Vivian's curious worlds offer coherent narratives, stories which unite, harmonize and complete the fragmented cultural inheritence he received from Europe under African skies. Since 2017, he makes ceramics too.
I began making ceramics in Lebanon in 2017. Temporary constructions for photographs become finished pieces. Even as durable sculptures , the fictions created remain sealed beneath the brilliant screen of ceramic glaze and remain mysterious, silent and removed from us in time and in space and scale, unattainable like worlds seen through photographs.
Vivian van Blerk
Oeuvres d'art
Articles
Médias
Points forts
Recommandations
Collections
Expositions
Position sur le marché
CV
Points forts
expositions
Position sur le marché
Vivian van Blerk’s work is narrative and figurative. Attentive to contemporary concerns about the evolution of our environment, his ceramic works depict human-made things, and humans themselves, as part of the natural world rather than separate or opposing factions.
Clay is a remarkably unifying material – make an elephant and a plastic bottle in clay and they suddenly have a lot in common in substance, surface and size. We are reminded both are of this world. Elephant and plastic bottle share a destiny!
Time is a determining factor in the creation of Vivian van Blerk’s universe and time is also a clue to understanding its playfulness and optimism. His works are built over time, not planned in detail. Size, clay choice or a main subject may be considered in advance and even these can change. Time is necessary for the clay to evolve under the many varied actions by the artist. A form added, suggests another. The work grows in directions the artist never expected. Forms in the sculpture speak to each other and stories are created over time the interacting elements gradually acquire a density and complexity that mirrors life. From this moment the ceramic microcosm can live alone repelling further intervention. These sculptures need days and prefer weeks with the living artist who modifies the work according to whim, mood and inspiration from both the world outside and the world inside the clay.
A longer Time is implicit in Vivian van Blerk’s universe. Time enough for cities to crumble and be covered in forests, for corals to grow on sunken cars. Time offers second chances and regeneration. In the wild ecosystems that overtake the ruins a small discreet human can sometimes be spotted. The sculptures are metaphors for time, not predictions. The artist works with what he knows, his language being the elements which now interact to make our world. In the years head there might not be humans or elephants or plastic bottles. But there will certainly be something and this is a comfort.
In the sculptures life grows out of the ruins. The human legacy is an integral part of future and present ecosystems. The contemplation of time passing is a consolation akin to gazing at a starry sky. The vastness of time and space jolt us out of the immediacy of self and offer a brief detached perspective on our lives amidst the all-consuming activities of living. Time passes and repairs the dramas of today.
Clay is a remarkably unifying material – make an elephant and a plastic bottle in clay and they suddenly have a lot in common in substance, surface and size. We are reminded both are of this world. Elephant and plastic bottle share a destiny!
Time is a determining factor in the creation of Vivian van Blerk’s universe and time is also a clue to understanding its playfulness and optimism. His works are built over time, not planned in detail. Size, clay choice or a main subject may be considered in advance and even these can change. Time is necessary for the clay to evolve under the many varied actions by the artist. A form added, suggests another. The work grows in directions the artist never expected. Forms in the sculpture speak to each other and stories are created over time the interacting elements gradually acquire a density and complexity that mirrors life. From this moment the ceramic microcosm can live alone repelling further intervention. These sculptures need days and prefer weeks with the living artist who modifies the work according to whim, mood and inspiration from both the world outside and the world inside the clay.
A longer Time is implicit in Vivian van Blerk’s universe. Time enough for cities to crumble and be covered in forests, for corals to grow on sunken cars. Time offers second chances and regeneration. In the wild ecosystems that overtake the ruins a small discreet human can sometimes be spotted. The sculptures are metaphors for time, not predictions. The artist works with what he knows, his language being the elements which now interact to make our world. In the years head there might not be humans or elephants or plastic bottles. But there will certainly be something and this is a comfort.
In the sculptures life grows out of the ruins. The human legacy is an integral part of future and present ecosystems. The contemplation of time passing is a consolation akin to gazing at a starry sky. The vastness of time and space jolt us out of the immediacy of self and offer a brief detached perspective on our lives amidst the all-consuming activities of living. Time passes and repairs the dramas of today.
CV
Born in CapeTown South Africa in 1971. Lives and works in Paris.
Bachelor degree in Fine Arts, Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, 1995.
Solo shows
2022 Cabinet de céramique contemporain, avec Carolein Smit et James B. Webster, Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Bruxelles
Naufragés, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
2021 Archipel, Galerie Michèle Hayem, Paris
2020 On the Beach, Galerie Art Sablon, Bruxelles
2018 Life Stories, Beirut Design Fair, Lebanon
2017 Interior Kingdoms and other Vanities, Brussels
2016 After Empire, Chris Boïcos Fine Art à la Galerie Negative Plus, Paris
Les Ailleurs, The Wunderkammer, Paris
Moving, The Wunderkammer, Paris
When Worlds Collide, avec Tom Franco, JNFA, Chicago
2014 Beirut Art Fair, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Beirut, Lebanon
Avec Katya Traboulsi, ArtSpace-London, London
2013 Beirut Art Fair, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Beirut, Lebanon
Souvenir of Paxos, Boïcos House, Paxos, Greece
In Metamorphosis, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Chicago
2012 Métamorphoses, Chéminées et Attics, Gallery B.O.B., Paris
2011 Urbi et Orbi, Galérie Huit, Arles.
Des héros, des hommes et des bêtes, Maison des MICI, Paris.
2010 Heliograms, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Chicago IL, USA.
2008 Seven Capital Vices, Rosenthal Gallery, Chicago, Illinois USA.
Et In Arcadia Ego, Cheyne Walk Salon, London, UK.
2007 Vivian van Blerk, Lycée Gilbert Martin, Le Neubourg.
Quatre saisons et d’autres mondes, Trousse-Barrière, Briare.
2006 Four Seasons, Gallery Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Four Seasons, Bell Studio, Chicago, U.S.A.
Vivian van Blerk, Parsons School of Design Paris.
Quatre saisons, Cité internationale des arts, Mois de la Photo, Paris.
2005 From a New World, Lucca’s, Chicago, U.S.A.
2004 From a New World, Bell Studio, Chicago, U.S.A.
Photographies 1994-2004, Arphil, Paris.
2003 Recent Photographs, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town, Afrique du Sud.
2002 Attics, Cows, Hippopotamii and the New World - Photographies 1994-2002. Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Hippopotamus & Destiny INSEAD, Fontainebleau.
2001 Hart Gallery, Chicago, USA.
1999 Lipschitz Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
1998 Pi Gallery, Chicago, U.S.A.
Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
1995 South African Association of Arts, Cape Town, South Africa.
Group shows
2024 Contemporary Ceramics Collective, Galerie Fontana, Amsterdam
Group Show, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
Art Rotterdam, Galerie Fontana
2023 Manifesta Lyon, Michèle Hayem, Lyon, France
Hey !! Céramique, Halle Saint Pierre, Paris
Curated Bazaar, Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Bruxelles
Mingle Collective, Chaos Art Gallery, Beirut
Exuberance, Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Bruxelles
2022 PAN Art Fair Amsterdam, Galerie Fontana
You Know Who, Koç collection, Abdülmecid Efendi Pavilion, Istanbul
A Private Choice, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
Varia, Centre d’art contemporain Meymac
Méduse, Galerie Da-End, Paris
PAD Paris, Galerie Michel Hayem, Paris
2021 Art KDI, Ateliers KDI, La Courneuve
Naturalia, Artificialia, Art Sablon, Bruxelles
Cabinet Da-End X, Galerie Da-End, Paris
2020 Summer Show, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
Inauguration, Woolridge gallery, Biella, Italie
Beyond the Vessel, Messums Wiltshire, Royaume-Uni.
Beyond the Bushes II, Art Sablon, Bruxelles
La Ligne B, Centre culturel Houdremont, La Courneuve, France
2019 Beyond the Vessel, Mesher, Istanbul
The Flower Exit, Art Sablon & Thierry Boutemy, London
Beyond the Bushes, Art Sablon, Bruxelles
Vanities and Still Lives, Chris Boicos Fine Arts, Paris
2018 AKAA, Carreau du Temple, Paris, Galérie Dominique Fiat
Paris Contemporary Art Fair, Carreau du Temple, Galérie Art Sablon
Material Earth, Messums Gallery Wiltshire, Angleterre.
2017 Ceramics Namika Atelier, Bierut Design Fair, Lebanon
Fotofever, Chris Boïcos Fine Art, Paris
2016 Etats généraux de la culture, Mairie de La Courneuve.
Fin Feather Fur, In Toto Gallery, Johannesburg.
Spreek die Woord, GUS, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2015 Mythologies, Fotofever fair with Chris Boïcos Fine Arts, Paris
New Pictorialists, Jamm art, Dubaï
Virtual/Reality? Digital Art Pavillion, Beirut Art Fair 2015
The Olive Tree, Christophe Boïcos Fine Art, Paxos, Greece
2014 Poseidon, Christophe Boïcos Fine Art, Paxos, Greece
2013 Exposure, In Toto Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Chicago in Paris, Jennifer Norback Fine Art at Gallery B.OB. Paris
Six Photographers from La Capsule, Gallery B.O.B., Paris
2012 Artifices, Galerie Beckel, Odille, Boïcos, Paris
The Other World, In Toto Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Safari urbain, La Capsule – Ville du Bourget, Île-de-France
2011 Fotofever , Salon, Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris
Blue Train, Galérie Amarrage, Saint Ouen
2010 Sculptures Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2009 Baroque! Vices, fleurs et miroirs Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Recent Work, Michael Laconte Gallery, Chicago IL. U.S.A.
2008 Urban Landscapes, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Nu au Masculin, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2006 The Rite of Spring, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Art Chicago 2006 Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2005 Mois de la photographie Cape Town, South Africa.
2004 Art Chicago 2004 Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Natures Mortes, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2003 Luxe, Calme et Volupté, Hôtel Scribe, Paris.
La Source de l'art, Fondation Garouste, La Gueroulde, Normandy.
La Source de l'art, Hôtel du Département, Evreux, Normandy.
2002 Nus, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Après l'Apartheid, Maison des Arts, Grand Quevilly.
Fondation Colas, Boulogne.
Huit artistes pour la Source, Fondation COFFIM, Paris.
Mois de la Photo, Cité des Arts, Paris.
2001 Natures Mortes, Gallery Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Artuel – Beyrouth 2001, Salon international d’art contemporain, Liban.
Salon Art Paris 2001 Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris.
2000 Après l'apartheid. Trois photographes d’Afrique du sud,
Gallery Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Art Paris – Caroussel du Louvre, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
1999 Paysages, Gallery Beckel-Odille-Boïcos, Paris.
Mois de la Photo bis, Paris.
1996 Cape Town Association of Art.
Durban Association of Art, South Africa.
Johannesburg Association of Art, South Africa.
1995 People's Portraits, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
1994 Images aux processus anciens et expérimentaux (cyanotype, calotype, émulsions de sels d'argent, gravure à l'eau forte) Clairemont Gallery,
Cape Town, South Africa
South African Association of Arts, Cape Town, South Africa.
1998 National Theater of Durban, South Africa.
Works in public collections
Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, USA
Université de Chicago Cultural Policy Center. Chicago, U.S.A.
Ville de La Courneuve, Seine-Saint-Denis, France (2005 et nouvelles acquisitions en 2020)
Fondation d'entreprise Colas, Boulogne, France.
South African National Gallery.
Michaelis School of Fine Arts, Cape Town, Afrique du sud.
Ministère de l’Education, Afrique du sud.
Irma Stern Museum, Rondebosch, Le Cap, Afrique du sud.
Press
On the Beach, catalogue d’exposition, Galerie Art Sablon, (Bruxelles) 2020
Regards magazine (La Courneuve), janvier 2020
Beyond the Vessel, catalogue d’exposition, Messums (Royaume-Uni) 2020
Beyond the Vessel, catalogue d’exposition, Mesher Museum (Istanbul), 2019
DECO Magazine (Lebanon), septembre 2018
Elle Oriental, (Lebanon), novembre 2015
Lifestyle Beirut, (Lebanon), octobre 2014
Journal des Arts, (France), mars 2012
Photography Monthly, (Korea) février 2011
Regards magazine (La Courneuve) – mai 2010
Bachelor degree in Fine Arts, Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town, 1995.
Solo shows
2022 Cabinet de céramique contemporain, avec Carolein Smit et James B. Webster, Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Bruxelles
Naufragés, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
2021 Archipel, Galerie Michèle Hayem, Paris
2020 On the Beach, Galerie Art Sablon, Bruxelles
2018 Life Stories, Beirut Design Fair, Lebanon
2017 Interior Kingdoms and other Vanities, Brussels
2016 After Empire, Chris Boïcos Fine Art à la Galerie Negative Plus, Paris
Les Ailleurs, The Wunderkammer, Paris
Moving, The Wunderkammer, Paris
When Worlds Collide, avec Tom Franco, JNFA, Chicago
2014 Beirut Art Fair, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Beirut, Lebanon
Avec Katya Traboulsi, ArtSpace-London, London
2013 Beirut Art Fair, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Beirut, Lebanon
Souvenir of Paxos, Boïcos House, Paxos, Greece
In Metamorphosis, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Chicago
2012 Métamorphoses, Chéminées et Attics, Gallery B.O.B., Paris
2011 Urbi et Orbi, Galérie Huit, Arles.
Des héros, des hommes et des bêtes, Maison des MICI, Paris.
2010 Heliograms, Jennifer Norback Fine Art, Chicago IL, USA.
2008 Seven Capital Vices, Rosenthal Gallery, Chicago, Illinois USA.
Et In Arcadia Ego, Cheyne Walk Salon, London, UK.
2007 Vivian van Blerk, Lycée Gilbert Martin, Le Neubourg.
Quatre saisons et d’autres mondes, Trousse-Barrière, Briare.
2006 Four Seasons, Gallery Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Four Seasons, Bell Studio, Chicago, U.S.A.
Vivian van Blerk, Parsons School of Design Paris.
Quatre saisons, Cité internationale des arts, Mois de la Photo, Paris.
2005 From a New World, Lucca’s, Chicago, U.S.A.
2004 From a New World, Bell Studio, Chicago, U.S.A.
Photographies 1994-2004, Arphil, Paris.
2003 Recent Photographs, Association for Visual Arts, Cape Town, Afrique du Sud.
2002 Attics, Cows, Hippopotamii and the New World - Photographies 1994-2002. Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Hippopotamus & Destiny INSEAD, Fontainebleau.
2001 Hart Gallery, Chicago, USA.
1999 Lipschitz Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
1998 Pi Gallery, Chicago, U.S.A.
Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
1995 South African Association of Arts, Cape Town, South Africa.
Group shows
2024 Contemporary Ceramics Collective, Galerie Fontana, Amsterdam
Group Show, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
Art Rotterdam, Galerie Fontana
2023 Manifesta Lyon, Michèle Hayem, Lyon, France
Hey !! Céramique, Halle Saint Pierre, Paris
Curated Bazaar, Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Bruxelles
Mingle Collective, Chaos Art Gallery, Beirut
Exuberance, Galerie Jonathan F. Kugel, Bruxelles
2022 PAN Art Fair Amsterdam, Galerie Fontana
You Know Who, Koç collection, Abdülmecid Efendi Pavilion, Istanbul
A Private Choice, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
Varia, Centre d’art contemporain Meymac
Méduse, Galerie Da-End, Paris
PAD Paris, Galerie Michel Hayem, Paris
2021 Art KDI, Ateliers KDI, La Courneuve
Naturalia, Artificialia, Art Sablon, Bruxelles
Cabinet Da-End X, Galerie Da-End, Paris
2020 Summer Show, Galerie Dominique Fiat, Paris
Inauguration, Woolridge gallery, Biella, Italie
Beyond the Vessel, Messums Wiltshire, Royaume-Uni.
Beyond the Bushes II, Art Sablon, Bruxelles
La Ligne B, Centre culturel Houdremont, La Courneuve, France
2019 Beyond the Vessel, Mesher, Istanbul
The Flower Exit, Art Sablon & Thierry Boutemy, London
Beyond the Bushes, Art Sablon, Bruxelles
Vanities and Still Lives, Chris Boicos Fine Arts, Paris
2018 AKAA, Carreau du Temple, Paris, Galérie Dominique Fiat
Paris Contemporary Art Fair, Carreau du Temple, Galérie Art Sablon
Material Earth, Messums Gallery Wiltshire, Angleterre.
2017 Ceramics Namika Atelier, Bierut Design Fair, Lebanon
Fotofever, Chris Boïcos Fine Art, Paris
2016 Etats généraux de la culture, Mairie de La Courneuve.
Fin Feather Fur, In Toto Gallery, Johannesburg.
Spreek die Woord, GUS, Stellenbosch, South Africa
2015 Mythologies, Fotofever fair with Chris Boïcos Fine Arts, Paris
New Pictorialists, Jamm art, Dubaï
Virtual/Reality? Digital Art Pavillion, Beirut Art Fair 2015
The Olive Tree, Christophe Boïcos Fine Art, Paxos, Greece
2014 Poseidon, Christophe Boïcos Fine Art, Paxos, Greece
2013 Exposure, In Toto Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Chicago in Paris, Jennifer Norback Fine Art at Gallery B.OB. Paris
Six Photographers from La Capsule, Gallery B.O.B., Paris
2012 Artifices, Galerie Beckel, Odille, Boïcos, Paris
The Other World, In Toto Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa
Safari urbain, La Capsule – Ville du Bourget, Île-de-France
2011 Fotofever , Salon, Espace Pierre Cardin, Paris
Blue Train, Galérie Amarrage, Saint Ouen
2010 Sculptures Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2009 Baroque! Vices, fleurs et miroirs Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Recent Work, Michael Laconte Gallery, Chicago IL. U.S.A.
2008 Urban Landscapes, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Nu au Masculin, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2006 The Rite of Spring, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Art Chicago 2006 Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2005 Mois de la photographie Cape Town, South Africa.
2004 Art Chicago 2004 Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Natures Mortes, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
2003 Luxe, Calme et Volupté, Hôtel Scribe, Paris.
La Source de l'art, Fondation Garouste, La Gueroulde, Normandy.
La Source de l'art, Hôtel du Département, Evreux, Normandy.
2002 Nus, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Après l'Apartheid, Maison des Arts, Grand Quevilly.
Fondation Colas, Boulogne.
Huit artistes pour la Source, Fondation COFFIM, Paris.
Mois de la Photo, Cité des Arts, Paris.
2001 Natures Mortes, Gallery Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Artuel – Beyrouth 2001, Salon international d’art contemporain, Liban.
Salon Art Paris 2001 Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris.
2000 Après l'apartheid. Trois photographes d’Afrique du sud,
Gallery Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Art Paris – Caroussel du Louvre, Galerie Beckel Odille Boïcos, Paris.
Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris.
1999 Paysages, Gallery Beckel-Odille-Boïcos, Paris.
Mois de la Photo bis, Paris.
1996 Cape Town Association of Art.
Durban Association of Art, South Africa.
Johannesburg Association of Art, South Africa.
1995 People's Portraits, South African National Gallery, Cape Town, South Africa.
1994 Images aux processus anciens et expérimentaux (cyanotype, calotype, émulsions de sels d'argent, gravure à l'eau forte) Clairemont Gallery,
Cape Town, South Africa
South African Association of Arts, Cape Town, South Africa.
1998 National Theater of Durban, South Africa.
Works in public collections
Loyola University Museum of Art, Chicago, USA
Université de Chicago Cultural Policy Center. Chicago, U.S.A.
Ville de La Courneuve, Seine-Saint-Denis, France (2005 et nouvelles acquisitions en 2020)
Fondation d'entreprise Colas, Boulogne, France.
South African National Gallery.
Michaelis School of Fine Arts, Cape Town, Afrique du sud.
Ministère de l’Education, Afrique du sud.
Irma Stern Museum, Rondebosch, Le Cap, Afrique du sud.
Press
On the Beach, catalogue d’exposition, Galerie Art Sablon, (Bruxelles) 2020
Regards magazine (La Courneuve), janvier 2020
Beyond the Vessel, catalogue d’exposition, Messums (Royaume-Uni) 2020
Beyond the Vessel, catalogue d’exposition, Mesher Museum (Istanbul), 2019
DECO Magazine (Lebanon), septembre 2018
Elle Oriental, (Lebanon), novembre 2015
Lifestyle Beirut, (Lebanon), octobre 2014
Journal des Arts, (France), mars 2012
Photography Monthly, (Korea) février 2011
Regards magazine (La Courneuve) – mai 2010
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