Seductive Proposals by Hans Op de Beeck

Marlo Saalmink, Editor

| 07 December 2009 | Art

Art can be a proposal. Here it is the sacred illusion of the dark, defined by roaring silence and inner turmoil.

Art can be an illusion, a way to make us experience things we did not see before. One could even say that: ''Art appears and in turn deminishes rapidly''. Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck (1969) does not conform to such stereotypes. His works are based on our subconscience, our dreams , the ever so dark and yet surprisingly lucid world. His universe is one that stays and co-exists together with the beholder. Op de Beeck´s work consists of sculptures, installations, videos, photography, animated films, drawings, paintings and the occasional short story. Where such a variety of media could allow vagueness and grandeur; Op de Beeck contrarily chooses to experiment with 'canvasses'' in order to maximize the contemplative effect of his works.

Thematically, one could characterize his works as an ongoing exploration of our mind. Time, space, spectator, location and colour are no longer existent. Paradoxically, we are drawn into a world, where our society, postmodernity, time and distance, are quite literary mocked. We seem at times abundant in his myriad of dark works. In my opinion, an artist with such a mindscope, can trigger an interesting debate on reality. Could we exist in Op de Beeks's parallel worlds? This would irrefutably be a fascinating proposal, in the eyes of the artist himself.

Nonetheless, one could remark a little more about Op de Beeck's somewhat peturbed relativism and narcissist sculpturing. We get the feeling we are part of his melancholy, his drive to be awakened by a sudden rush of profound existentialism. Visuals support his claim, that we are constantly justifying our identity, lives and faith in what is right. Henceforth, after looking at his works, one can feel as if slumbering, staggering, waiting to be awoken. Such a momentum, that one expects, is easily replaced by a continuous stare at the astonishing ''morbid'' world of Op de Beeck's blackness.

Hans Op de Beecks' works have been shown at major international museums such as the Reina Sofia (Madrid), the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (Arizona), the ZKM (Karlsruhe), the Kunstverein Hannover, the Whitechapel Art Gallery (London), the S.M.A.K. (Ghent) and the P.S.1 (New York). For more information and for an exhibition schedule for 2010, please visit his homepage.