Swim the Mountain Climb the Sea

Artists: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Bram Demunter, Isabella Ducrot, James Ensor, Adrian Ghenie, Anton Henning, Cameron Jamie, Pablo Picasso, Ben Sledsens, Ceija Stojka, Ed Templeton, Dennis Tyfus, Franz West, Rose Wylie

Tim Van Laere Gallery presents Swim the Mountain Climb the Sea, a group exhibition showcasing new work by Bram Demunter, Isabella Ducrot, Adrian Ghenie, Anton Henning, Ben Sledsens, Ed Templeton, Dennis Tyfus and Rose Wylie alongside works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, James Ensor, Cameron Jamie, Pablo Picasso, Ceija Stojka and Franz West. This show thus includes a selection of both modern and contemporary artists who share the same pioneering spirit.

The concept of a “group exhibition” where the general public is invited to view new work by a collection of artists, is relatively new in art history. It all started with the Paris Salon, first held in 1737 and sponsored by the French government. Such annual juried art shows, with their pre-established rules and standards, took place for about 130 years—until the art world revolted.

The Salon des Refusés in 1863 showcased artworks that were rejected by the Paris Salon, and a series of groundbreaking group exhibitions subsequently followed, presenting work that not only changed art but changed Western culture itself. Most of these pre-1960 group shows—such as the Impressionists’ first exhibition in 1874, the Gutai Art Association shows in Japan, and London’s Independent Group in the late 1950s—were curated by gallerists, biennials. However, from about the 1960s onwards, innovative group exhibitions were being organized by galleries and biennials. Where previously only artists and the public came together, there were now other parties considered as professional exhibition makers. This shift brought about a fundamental change in the dialogue.

Curated by Tim Van Laere Gallery, Swim the Mountain Climb the Sea includes a selection of artists whose most pronounced characteristic is their idiosyncrasy. Each of them has distinctively constructed their own universe with an own visual language, with which they started new conversations in art history, questioning and examining its foundations. Showing work by both modern and contemporary artists, this exhibition not only reveals the individual profiles of the artists but also allows us to reevaluate their unique positions and concepts. Pablo Picasso, James Ensor, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Franz West and Ceija Stojka have all left behind oeuvres that continue to inspire new generations of artists today. Placing their work in dialogue with contemporaries not only reveals the influence of the modern artists on this generation, but also shows how their work has remained current over the years. Conversely, this combination illustrates the strength of the individual voices of the contemporary artists, who can engage in conversation both with each other’s work and with the work of generations before them.