The Living by Rinus Van de Velde
LIVING
In recent years, Rinus Van de Velde (°1983, Louvain; lives and works in Antwerp) has made substantial strides in the development of his body of work.
At the start of his career he was primarily known for his large-scale charcoal drawings but nowadays he presents himself as a versatile artist who uses various media such as drawing, sculptures, installations and film.
Van de Velde’s work plays with the tension between reality and fiction and creates a complex world where documentation and fiction, reproduction and reconstruction are inextricably linked. His work is characterised by highly complex layering, a combination of, among others, careful composition and structure, countless references to the art world, sharp irony, visual intelligence, biographical elements and a boundless imagination. Van de Velde depicts an alternative world where myths from literature, art and film constantly infringe on the reality of his own artistic personality and present a story that doesn’t render the truth but a meticulously constructed lie. In his drawings, which constitute the core of his oeuvre, he creates a multiverse with diverging story lines in which his actual life is warped into a fictional autobiography. Time and again, he interweaves reality with his imagination, affording himself the freedom to fully own everything that enters his world. With the alter egos he creates, he steps into the shoes of different personas and explores worlds that are not (yet) his. All those worlds share a single anchor point: the artist himself. Through impersonation, carefully constructed lies and appropriation, each artwork brings him one step closer to the hidden truth of his own identity and artistic calling.
For Abby, Van de Velde took inspiration from the cloister of Groeninge Abbey and the museum’s own collection. As the first meeting space of the museum, Van de Velde wanted to turn the Living room into a place where visitors can discover the collection at their leisure, including a new charcoal drawing by the artist. Like the sets in his films, this living room decor was designed and crafted down to the smallest detail. Every chair, plant, table and sofa was faithfully reproduced using cardboard, wood and paint. They invite the visitor to take an active part in the universe of Rinus Van de Velde.
