The first joint exhibition of Hungarian artist, Árpád Forgó and Brussels-based
ceramic artist Abel Jallais takes place at the Front Gallery of Liszt Institute,
Brussels as an official off program of Art Brussels international contemporary
art fair.
At the exhibition, through unusual constellations, Forgó’s delicate shaped
canvas compositions get in dialogue with the monochrome ceramic objects of Abel
Jallais. Despite of working with different medium, their approach and processes
share several similarities. They create non-representational objects, which do
not intend to generate direct associations; the content of the work is its
colour, shape, texture, size and scale.
Both artists developed his own basic forms, from which they build the artworks:
Jallais is using additions, cut-outs and repetition in his “Bonbonne” series;
Forgó is applying different reflection methods, as well as shifting. They create
simple and visually controllable pieces that need to be observed and discovered.
Árpád Forgó works with basic geometric forms and through isometric
transformations; he builds shaped canvas compositions, visualising structures,
shapes, measurements and rhythm, as well as planar and spatial relationships. He
developed shaped canvas modules in order to build block-like or hollow,
symmetrical or asymmetrical compositions. In the recent years, he experiments
intensively with different compound painting processes in order to challenge the
viewer’s perception not only by the structure but also by the material.
Abel Jallais has an attraction to facing unknown objects; therefore, he peals
off the functional territories of the archaic objects and transforms them into a
free form of interpretation. They become a fictional territory again to explore,
offering the opportunity to the passive user to open a new dialogue with the
form. Sighing with the eyes, turning around, manipulating to return to a
primitive form of primitive apprehension. His practice moves in this interstice.
The fictional sense becomes the functional sense.
Both artists work with traditional materials, aiming for industrial perfection,
still keeping the craftsmanship of the process.
Árpád Forgó is a Budapest-based artist. After graduating, he soon started to
focus on geometric abstraction and made paintings with tactile feature. He has
always been interested in the periphery of painting and sculpture. Since 2015,
he creates shaped canvas works and modular compositions. He has exhibited
widely, including solos shows at Anya Tish Gallery in Houston; Schlieder
Contemporary in Frankfurt; Viltin Gallery, Budapest and Rómer Flóris Museum of
Art and History in Győr, Hungary. He has participated in group shows at Ludwig
Museum and Vasarely Museum in Budapest and the Museum Ritter in Waldenbuch,
Germany. Artist residency programs play an important role in the artist’s
career, he was invited to Norway, Australia, Spain, and several times to the
United States. For 2019-2020, he was awarded The Pollock-Krasner Foundation
grant.
Abel Jallais is a French-born ceramic artist living and working in Brussels.
After his studies at the College of Fine Arts in Angers, where he concentrated
on sculpture and drawing, he spent a year in Colombia, where he did an
internship at Campo de Gutierrez artist residency centre, where ceramics played
a major role. He had already been working with clay since his teenage years, and
this experience strengthened his desire to explore this material further. On his
return to Europe, he joined the master’s programme in ceramics at La Cambre
National College of Visual Arts in Brussels, graduating in 2018. Since then, he
has divided his time between his art practice at Espace Triphasé art studio and
his work as a teacher at the Brussels Art Academy and as a teaching assistant at
the ceramics department at La Cambre. His works have been exhibited at numerous
galleries and art spaces in Brussels, including Galerie Cohérent, Musée du
Cinquantenaire, Puls Ceramics Gallery and Espace La Vallée, as well as at
international ceramics platforms in Belgium, The Netherlands and France.
///
Curator: Gábor Pintér
Sculptura #1
11februari 2023
-12maart 2023
Tour & Taxis
Tour & Taxis, Havenlaan 86C Avenue du Port, Brussels, Brussels-Capital 1000, Belgium
Free
Description
*** Français ***
Du vendredi 10 février au dimanche 12 mars 2023 aura lieu Sculptura, un nouveau festival annuel mettant en avant la sculpture contemporaine et l'art de l'installation pendant cinq semaines à l'imposante Gare Maritime à Tour & Taxis et en visite libre. Sous la devise "Un voyage vers la découverte", Sculptura #1 présente l'art sculptural avec un large éventail de styles et des œuvres à la fois monumentales et à petite échelle d'artistes de renommée internationale qui, ensemble, couvrent toutes les générations. Imaginez un événement comme Beaufort, la triennale de l'art sur la côte belge. Prenez toutes ces œuvres, abritez-les dans une salle d'exposition monumentale unique en son genre à Bruxelles et faites-en profiter le public gratuitement et à l'abri des tempêtes. C'est Sculptura #1", dit l'organisateur Äke Verstraelen (Brussels Sculpture Festival asbl). Le cœur battant de cet événement est la Gare Maritime, l'ancienne gare de marchandises de Tour & Taxis, magnifiquement restaurée. Avec ses salles majestueuses de 280 mètres de profondeur, dont les voûtes reposent sur de minces piliers en fonte aux décorations Art nouveau, ce lieu historique possède tous les atouts pour faire de la visite de Sculptura #1 une expérience particulière. La participation des artistes, les possibilités de visites guidées et d'événements (d'entreprise) y contribuent. Avec cette première édition, Sculptura veut enthousiasmer le public et lui faire attendre la suite. L'ambition est là : en 2024, à l'occasion de la présidence belge de l'Union européenne, le Brussels Sculpture Festival veut s'étendre sur toute la ville de Bruxelles et s'internationaliser encore plus fortement. L'organisation souhaite profiter de la poursuite de la revalorisation de la zone du canal de Bruxelles pour donner à l'art une place dans l'espace public, en collaboration avec ses partenaires. L'asbl Brussels Sculpture Festival souhaite que davantage de sculptures soient ancrées dans la ville au profit de ceux qui vivent, étudient, travaillent ou visitent Bruxelles, contribuant ainsi à l'attractivité internationale de la capitale. En outre, le festival vise à devenir une référence annuelle au sein du monde artistique international qui valorise l'accessibilité et l'inclusion. Avec cette première édition, Sculptura partage déjà sa carte de visite.
*** Nederlands ***
Van vrijdag 10 februari tot en met zondag 12 maart 2023 vindt Sculptura plaats, een nieuw jaarlijks festival dat vijf weken lang in het imposante Gare Maritime op de site van Tour & Taxis eigentijdse sculpturen en installatiekunst in de kijker zet en gratis te bezoeken is. Onder het motto A Journey to Discovery introduceert Sculptura #1 de sculptuurkunst met een brede waaier van stijlen en zowel monumentale als kleinschalige werken van internationaal gerenommeerde kunstenaars die samen alle generaties overspannen. ‘Stel je een event voor als Beaufort, de driejaarlijkse kunsthappening aan de Belgische kust. Neem al die werken, breng ze onder in een unieke monumentale tentoonstellingshal in Brussel en laat het publiek er gratis én stormproof van proeven. Dat is Sculptura #1’, aldus organisator Äke Verstraelen (Brussels Sculpture Festival vzw). Kloppend hart van dit gebeuren is de Gare Maritime, het prachtig gerestaureerde voormalige goederenstation van Tour & Taxis. Met zijn statige hallen van wel 280 meter diep, waarvan de overwelving rust op ranke, gietijzeren pilaren met art-nouveaudecoraties, heeft deze historische locatie alle troeven om een bezoek aan Sculptura #1 te laten uitgroeien tot een bijzondere ervaring. De betrokkenheid van de kunstenaars, de mogelijkheden tot rondleidingen en (corporate) events dragen daartoe bij. Met deze eerste editie wil Sculptura het publiek prikkelen en reikhalzend doen uitkijken naar meer. De ambitie is er: in 2024 wil het Brussels Sculpture Festival naar aanleiding van het Belgische voorzitterschap van de Europese Unie uitwaaieren over de hele stad Brussel en nog sterker internationaliseren. Van de verdere opwaardering van de Brusselse Kanaalzone wil de organisatie gebruikmaken om samen met haar partners kunst ook in de openbare ruimte een plek te geven. De vzw Brussels Sculpture Festival wil meer sculpturen verankerd zien in de stad ten behoeve van wie in Brussel woont, studeert, werkt of op bezoek komt en zo bijdragen tot de internationale uitstraling van de hoofdstad. Bovendien wil het festival binnen de internationale kunstwereld een jaarlijks ijkpunt worden dat toegankelijkheid en inclusie hoog in het vaandel draagt. Met deze eerste editie deelt Sculptura alvast zijn visitekaartje uit.
*** English ***
Taking place from Friday, Feb. 10 to Sunday, March 12, 2023, Sculptura is a new annual festival that will highlight contemporary sculpture and installation art for five weeks at the imposing Gare Maritime on the Tour & Taxis site and is free to visit. Under the motto A Journey to Discovery, Sculptura #1 introduces sculptural art with a wide range of styles and both monumental and small-scale works by internationally renowned artists that together span all generations. 'Imagine an event like Beaufort, the triennial art happening on the Belgian coast. Take all those works, house them in a unique monumental exhibition hall in Brussels and give the public a free and storm-proof taste of them. That is Sculptura #1', says organizer Äke Verstraelen (Brussels Sculpture Festival asbl). The beating heart of this event is the Gare Maritime, the beautifully restored former goods station of Tour & Taxis. With its stately halls of up to 280 meters in depth, whose vaulting rests on slender, cast-iron pillars with Art Nouveau decorations, this historic location has all the assets to make a visit to Sculptura #1 a special experience. The involvement of the artists, the possibilities for guided tours and (corporate) events contribute to this. With this first edition, Sculptura wants to excite the public and make them look forward to more. The ambition is there: in 2024, on the occasion of the Belgian Presidency of the European Union, the Brussels Sculpture Festival wants to spread out over the entire city of Brussels and internationalize even more strongly. The organization wants to use the further upgrading of the Brussels Canal Zone to give art a place in the public space, together with its partners. The Brussels Sculpture Festival asbl wants to see more sculptures anchored in the city for the benefit of those who live, study, work or visit Brussels, thus contributing to the international appeal of the capital. Moreover, within the international art world, the festival aims to become an annual benchmark that values accessibility and inclusion. With this first edition, Sculptura is already sharing its calling card.
Date info
11:00:00 - 18:00:00
Tickets
Free