The theme of enchanting homeliness
by painterRik Wouters, as well as the intimate feeling of sanctity between him
and his wife Nel, forms the premise of this exhibition.
In our region, Wouters was the
only artist to combine Post-Impressionist painting techniques with simple
domestic scenes. His expressive brush strokes and the unfinished style of his
canvases give a dynamic to his work that, combined with the emphasis on lighting
and colour, result in an enchanting and optimistic quality.
Wouters had his fair share of
difficulties in life, yet the harmonious ‘good life’ takes centre stage in his
work. His love for Nel was a motivating force in his work and her lust for life
and energy inspired him to create many well-known paintings and sculptures.
In this exhibition, the
contemporary movement in which people are again seeking domestic intimacy and
contact with nature, the ‘slow’ movement and the renewed attention for traditional
techniques, like ceramics, weaving and dyeing, are linked with the utopian
philosophy from Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden. Published in 1854 Waldenpresented
the non-industrial, natural way of life as an alternative to the
overstimulation of consumer society. In painting, we see a similar change in
Impressionism in the mid-nineteenth century, shifting from ‘bourgeois’ art to
more of an internalization highlighting the beauty of the natural way of life
with an emphasis on lighting.
The notion of shelter and
sanctity is today reflected in both conceptual art and applied design (fashion,
interior, design). These worlds overlap in a utopian quest for the essence of
‘the good life’ – or simply put: what does a person need to be happy? This
search is expressed in a predilection for self-reliance and in the combination
of pure materials with traditional techniques.
Various Belgian fashion
designers — including Dirk Van Saene, Bruno Pieters, Christian Wijnants, Walter
Van Beirendonck, Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Veronique Branquinho,
Martin Margiela, Jan-Jan Van Essche and Anne Kurris — give their individual
interpretations to these thoughts: some by choosing specific fabrics and
techniques, and others through their idiosyncratic position in fashion, in
which they do not give praise to the hectic pace of the fashion world.
Contemporary artists in this exhibition are BLESS, Atelier E.B., Berlinde
De Bruyckere and Ben Sledsens
This exhibition is a
partnership between MoMu – Fashion Museum Antwerp and the Royal Museum of Fine
Arts Antwerp (kmska) to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of
painter Rik Wouters in 2016. The exhibition brings together work by Rik Wouters
from the KMSKA collection and pieces by contemporary artists and fashion
designers.
http://www.momu.be/en/tentoonstelling/rik-wouters-en-het-huiselijk-utopia.html
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