"Faux frères & …. …."
Marcel Berlanger, Eric Angenot, Marijn Van Kreij, Elodie Lesourd, Franck Bragigand, Lionel Scoccimaro, Justin Wijers, Loek Grootjans, Thomas Rüff, Boris Thiébaut, Neal Beggs, Jo De Smedt, Ronald Ophuis, James Beckett, Sofia Boubolis, Sylvie Reno, Juan d’Outremont
10/04 – 30/05/2009
The starting point for the exhibition “Faux frères & …. .…” are the paintings of Marcel Berlanger, whose recent works of art are were exhibited in “Beyond the Picturesque” in the museum SMAK in Gent(B). One of the most prominent features of his working method is copying by painting one and the same subject in different formats and supports. In this way, series of sea landscapes, weeping willows, palm plants, eagles, … have been created. Since there are usually large periods of time between the production of paintings from the same series, the works of art have never been seen together in the studio or in an exhibition room. The idea to bring together a number of works of art with the same subject at the same time has been there for a long time and we feel that this is the ideal moment to focus on this matter and to broaden our attention to artists with a similar attitude. Marcel Berlanger doesn’t only copy and repeat his own work, but steals images from others as well in order to use them, manipulated or not, in his painter’s practice.
It is notable that certain subjects, ideas, shapes and attitudes are developed at the same time in an almost identical manner by different artists that don’t know each other’s work. Currently, Michel François organises a series of small exhibitions at the SMAK in Gent in which he repeatedly asks a person to choose two works of art that resemble each other formally and/or materially and that nevertheless have been created independently. François has named his project ‘Faux Jumeaux’ (fake twins). What similarities or differences in content between the two works of art will emerge by presenting them ‘mirrored in two spaces’?
Themes like appropriation, unity and signature are reviewed on a playful manner in this group exhibition filled with humour and lust of life but also critical and with attention to the hidden social – political dimensions.
Crucial in the work of a number of participating artists is the copying, quoting and redefining of personal former work or the copying of elements from everyday reality or from (art)history. They examine copying techniques, not so much the technical possibilities of the reproduction, but mainly the many nuances that are comprised in the term ‘copy’. Except for the literally multiplying with copiers, this is for example also drawing or painting from a model, the creation of an illusion of reality, seriality and repetition, plagiarism and quotation, the possible difference between original and imitation, taste and lack of taste.
All the works of art in Faux Frères are to be enjoyed separately, though they always comment on the idea of originality and they often contain elements of the contemporary mass culture. The uniqueness (of the) art work is brought to discussion. These artists get their inspiration from reproducible images from newspapers, magazines, advertisement, movie and television, or they produce their own work in print without premeditated use of pure reproduction methods. The connection between art and mass culture is becoming more and more firm. De anonymity of the media and especially the omnipresence and the unlimited ability to copy pop music has a big impact on the work of young artists.
