Two solo exhibitions at Z33, Hasselt
Ives Maes
THE GREAT EXHIBITION part 1: Europe
26.10.08 – 04.01.09
Ronny Delrue
Touching the earth and the sky
26.10.08 – 07.02.09
Z33
Zuivelmarkt 33
B-3500 Hasselt
Belgium
THE GREAT EXHIBITION part 1: Europe – Ives Maes
From 26.10.08 until 04.01.09
Wing’58
Free entrance
Art Centre Z33 presents contemporary visual art and design exhibitions that critically observe the social and scientific developments.
Z33 has invited Ives Maes, (°1976, Hasselt), a committed, critical artist. His new project “Former World Expo Sites visited by Extra-Terrestrials” links two phenomena that have influenced our vision on society and the future. The first part of this project is also his first major solo exposition – THE GREAT EXHIBITION part 1: Europe- where Maes contrasts the optimism of the world exhibitions with the critical, apocalyptic point of view of science fiction movies.
The basis of the exhibition is a new series of photos taken by Ives Maes at former world exhibition sites all over Europe, in which these sites are linked to elements from science fiction films. These images reveal an ironic analysis of recent history which makes one wonder which vision comes closer to reality: the vision presented by the world exhibitions or that of the science fiction film?
The fact that Z33′s Wing’58 is itself the result of the last Belgian world exhibition, adds an extra dimension to the confrontation. Various architectural elements have been integrated, including Wing’58, through which the architecture becomes a part of the exhibition.
Belgians have been taking a nostalgic look back at Expo ’58 throughout 2008. Together with Ives Maes, Z33 is ending this review, critically reflecting and envisioning the future.
Within scope of the French presidency of the European Union, Ives Maes was given the opportunity to study the extensive FRAC collections. He selected works by Absalon, Dan Graham, Douglas Gordon, Dora García, Ettore Sottsass, Liam Gillick and Luciano Fabro from the collections of FRAC Aquitaine, Bourgogne, Nord-Pas de Calais, Languedoc-Roussillon and Lorraine. This selection embodies the third part of THE GREAT EXHIBITION and enters into a dialogue with Ives Maes’s own photo series.
The project hereby belongs to “Carte(s) Blanche(s). All Eyes on the FRACs, and vice versa” coordinated by “PLATFORM”.
Touching the earth and the sky – Ronny Delrue
From 26.10.08 until 07.02.09
Gallery/House 11
Free entrance
Z33 seeks to add more depth and substance to her projects by stimulating and supporting research within and between contemporary visual art and design. In scope of this aim, Z33 invited Ronny Delrue (°1957, Heestert), who is mainly known as a contemporary painter. Originally, his work was expressionistic but he soon developed an evasive relationship with this style. His drawings are the direct reflection of his ideas and it is from these drawings that his oeuvre originates.
After having completed very diverse projects, Ronny Delrue is now working on a doctoral study: “the controlled uncontrolledness while drawing, a study of the portrait”. You can see the process and results of this study in his exhibition: Touching the earth and the sky, a gallery project in Z33.
Ronny Delrue developed his study during various residences in the European Ceramic Work Centre (EKWC) ‘s Hertogenbosch and FLACC, a work space for visual artists in Genk. The process of controlled uncontrolledness while drawing is explored futher in the ceramic material. The slowness of this medium forced Delrue to make copious drawings in order to note down all the ideas that bobbed up in his mind.
The sketches and drawings lead us through the thought process, while the sculptures and baked and unbaked clay materialise the content of his work. These are a constant recurring theme throughout the exhibition.
Throughout the several residences, Ronny Delrue developed ‘the Centre for Cloning and Manipulation, (CCM)’ that produces children without the ability to think; ‘Mind sculptures’, white porcelain towers and landscape installations, and his video ‘Touching the earth and the sky’. During a fifth and last stage at Z33, Ronny Delrue researched and finalized the presentation of his study, his temporary studio also belongs to the exhibition.
