Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travels

February 18 sees the start of the second part of the EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS festival with the flagship exhibition, Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travels. For the first time, Van de Velde’s work will be shown in all its diversity and placed in dialogue with works by his fictitious travelling companions, including Pierre Bonnard, Monster Chetwynd, Joan Mitchell, Claude Monet, Laure Prouvost, Henri Rousseau, Josephine Troller, Laurie Simmons and Jean Tinguely. The exhibition is a dive into Van de Velde’s practice, culminating in the premiere of his new film, La Ruta Natural.

The train is a symbol of travel: from the everyday journey of commuters to mythical and imaginary journeys. EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS celebrates all these forms of travel. The work of Rinus Van de Velde (Leuven, 1983)—who sometimes uses the train as a motif—stems from imaginary, inner journeys that the artist undertakes daily in the privacy of his studio. During these journeys, Van de Velde meets numerous other artists, and from these encounters, episodes of his fictional autobiography emerge, forming the common thread running through his work.

Based on these imaginary journeys and encounters, the artist creates his own microcosms or miniature worlds, which he elaborates in charcoal or pastel drawings, ceramics, installations, photographs or films. For the first time, this multitude of media will be presented together in one large exhibition.

The exhibition is further enriched by a series of talks and a performance programme in which Dolores and Charlotte Bouckaert, Monster Chetwynd, Rita Hoofwijk, Gaëtan Rusquet and Damien Petitot present a broader perspective on the themes of travel and encounters.

A production by EUROPALIA Arts Festival. 

Curators
Rinus Van de Velde
Julie Verheye (Exhibition Coordinator, EUROPALIA)
Dirk Vermaelen (Artistic Director EUROPALIA)

Press contacts
Sarah-Claire Vermeulen, sarah-claire@serenai.eu
Laurence Morel de Westgaver, Laurence@nakami.be

EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS
October 14, 2021–May 15, 2022
This year, EUROPALIA dedicates an edition to an invention that shaped society and appears to be playing a leading role again today: the train. Until May 15, 2022, EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS presents more than 70 different projects—mostly new creations and residencies—spread across artistic institutions but also, and especially, to be discovered in stations and on trains, in Belgium and in neighbouring countries. EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS examines the public space of the station and those passing through it and engages with a broad audience—casual passers-by, commuters, tourists, art lovers and many more. The multidisciplinary programme starts with the impact of the train on society, which was huge when the train was invented, and which seems to be growing bigger and bigger again today. Originally a symbol of the acceleration of society, the train now stands for slowing down. In addition, the festival focuses on the themes of time, motion, meetings and farewells and looks at both the train's intriguing past and future and its growing role in sustainable travel.

About EUROPALIA
Every two years, EUROPALIA compiles a diverse artistic programme focusing on a country or a theme. For four months, in Belgium and its neighbouring countries, EUROPALIA, in collaboration with a wide network of cultural partners, presents a biennial with a myriad of artistic and socio-cultural projects that bring together visual arts, performing arts, film, music, literature and debate so as to stimulate an exchange of ideas. Newly commissioned projects and artistic residencies hold a central place in the programme that engenders a unique interaction between heritage and art.