Namur, several locations

The Circus We Are

13.05.2022 - 25.09.2022

Details of the exhibition:
Curated by Joanna De Vos
Dates: 13 May – 25 September 2022
Several locations in Namur: Le Delta, Musée Félicien Rops, Musée des Arts Anciens, Belgian Gallery

From a family history related to the circus, I chose this world of wonder as a theme. Fascinated by modern masterpieces inspired on circus, and building on close connections with contemporary artists, the desire arose to invite artists to create a self-portrait as a clown. A question that was answered with enthusiasm and excitement through the countries and the generations.

As my family’s legacy resonates in the heartbeat of this exhibition, I have the ambition to embark on a journey with the artists that invites pleasure, reflection, reverie and wonder. As acrobats of the imagination, the artists, each from their own unique universe, tempt us to a certain agility of mind, to discover new perspectives and to see clearly the spectacle of life and the world. Art and circus: they both play a connecting role that should not be underestimated and they have the power to collectively reveal the essence of humanity. Let's unite - Right here! right now! – around the acrobats of imagination. We Are the Circus. The Circus We Are. (fragment of the curatorial text by Joanna De Vos)

About ‘The Clown Spirit’:
Many artists have at least some affinity with the existence of the clown. The melancholic artist, the serious clown, the comical artist, the tragic clown, the idiotic artist, the subversive clown, the comforting artist, … They all have the gift to transcend life. To make their fellow humans see, feel, or think differently. The clown/artist gives tragic life a comical face, and vice versa. The artist/clown is a clone and a canvas for various symbols. In their own extremes, the artist/clowns are both modest and elated.

That contradiction forms the energy flowing through ‘The Clown Spirit’ at Belgian Gallery – an exhibition that came into existence as a direct consequence of the overflowing response of artists to the invitation to create self-portraits as a clown. ‘The Clown Spirit’ shows the ongoing series of contemporary self-portraits as a clown. It was previously exhibited at De Rossaert in Antwerp, a space owned by Ronny Van de Velde Gallery, between October 2020 and January 2021.

Participating artists at Le Delta:
Carlos Aires, Homa Arkani, Uldus Bakhtiozina, Dodi Espinosa, Kendell Geers, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Taus Makhacheva, Enrique Marty, Fabien Mérelle, Johan Muyle, Erwin Olaf, Hans Op de Beeck, Femmy Otten, Daniele Puppi, Santiago Ydañez, Mary Zygouri

Participating artists at Musée Félicien Rops:
Carlos Aires, Oda Jaune & Dariy Danovsky, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Edward Lipski, Enrique Marty, Messieurs Delmotte, Axel Pahlavi & Florence Obrecht

Participating artists at Belgian Gallery:
Marina Abramović, Hugo Alonso, Homa Arkani, Uldus Bakhtiozina, Fred Bervoets, Guillaume Bijl, Elke-Andreas Boon, Muhiba Botan, Oona Bovri, Carlos Caballero, Paolo Canevari, Jacques Charlier, Michael Dans, Samuel De Maré, Wim Delvoye, Peter Depelchin, Robert Devriendt, Jorik Dzobava, Sidi El Karchi, Manfred Erjautz, Dodi Espinosa, Che Go Eun, Inci Eviner, Jan Fabre, Mike Figgis, Flexboj & L.A., Michael Fliri, Sasha Frolova, Kendell Geers, Maya Gold, Oda Jaune, Pieter Jennes, Fermín Jiménez Landa, Marie-Jo Lafontaine, Mous Lamrabat, Sigalit Landau, Tom Liekens, William Ludwig Lutgens, Fernando Marques Penteado, Kris Martin, Enrique Marty, Fabien Mérelle, Messieurs Delmotte, Elena Minyeyevtseva, Pieter Laurens Mol, Jorge Molder, Mothmeister, Sofie Muller, Johan Muyle, Eleni Mylonas, Maryam Najd, Nadia Naveau, Katie O’Hagan, ORLAN, Ria Pacquée, Javier Pérez, Petrovksy & Ramone, Antonis Pittas, Viktor Popov, Anastasia Potemkina, Daniele Puppi, Gabriel Roca, Antoine Roegiers, Julião Sarmento, Rob Scholte, Raoul Servais, Nedko Solakov, Berend Strik, Elly Strik, Koen Theys, Rosemarie Trockel, Filippos Tsitsopoulos, Jan Van Imschoot, Yves Velter, Nils Verkaeren, Fabien Verschaere, Henk Visch, Vadim Vosters, Andy Wauman, Santiago Ydañez, Mary Zygouri