The PinchukArtCentre (Kyiv, Ukraine) presents the first solo show in
Eastern Europe by the Belgian artist Jan Fabre. With this
two-chapter exhibition Fabre continues elaborating his critical reflections on
the Belgium’s colonial past, a theme that appeared in his oeuvre in 2002 when
he used millions of beetle wings to created a monumental ceiling painting “Heaven
of Delight” for the Royal Palace of Belgium in Brussels.
The first chapter, entitled “Tribute to Belgian Congo”, is
inspired by the enslavement of millions of Congolese and the atrocities
committed against them as well as the greed of the colonialists, who stole as
much as possible of the natural riches the country had to offer. Fabre depicts
the brand logos and products of companies that co-organized the horrors in the
name of profit, the whole pride of Belgian industrialists of the late 19th
century.
The second chapter of the exhibition, called “Tribute to Hieronymus
Bosch in Congo”, deals with the absurdity and horror of what happened in
the country in a more symbolical way, using both the iconography and imagery of
paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. The works give artistic form to evil deeds and
stand as an arresting critique of the folly that ensues when men lose their
bearings in life.
Eckhard Schneider, General Director of the PinchukArtCentre: “The works for
PinchukArtCentre are saturated with history and many stories – of life and
death and of never-ending beauty, revealed as a dazzling counterpoint to the
terror of the crimes committed.”
The show features 36 astonishing mosaics, 23 sculptures and 2 major
triptychs, including 28 new works created especially for the exhibition in the
PinchukArtCentre.
The scale of mosaics in the exhibition refers to traditional history
paintings, allowing Fabre to show the virtuosity of his technique which brings
the material itself to life. With a great sense of plasticity, Fabre paints
with light, using the prismatic quality of the jewel beetle’s wing shields to
break up the spectrum. The colours continually change, ranging from an intense
dark green to a deep blue, creating depths and reliefs inside each single
piece.
Located on the 4th floor, the exhibition lasts from February 7 till April
27, 2014 in the PinchukArtCentre, Kyiv, Ukraine. Opening hours: from Tuesday
through Sunday from 12 am to 9 pm. Admission is free.
Jan Fabre (born Antwerp, 1958) first attained international recognition with
works such as The Hour Blue (1977–1992) and his 1980
performance Ilad of the Bic-Art. Over the last thirty-five years,
he has occupied a leading international position as a groundbreaking visual
artist, theatre maker and author. Fabre has shown worldwide in solo and group
exhibitions at leading institutions, among them a large-scale retrospective at
the Louvre in Paris 2008.
http://pinchukartcentre.org/en/exhibitions/current/24614#
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