WOW WOW WOW! What an experience! The International Paper Art Biennial 2018 that took place from February 24th to March 4th in Haacht, Belgium was absolutely brilliant. I have nothing but praise for the organizers/curators Maurice Van der Speeten and Danielle Van Belle. What a tour de force!
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| Curators: Danielle Van Belle and Maurice Van der Speeten |
I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to go to Flanders and experience the event in person. Belgium was magical and the people that I met at the biennial were extremely engaging. Most spoke a minimum of 2 languages fluently and many mastered more. This kept the doors of communication wide open. What a gift to be able to converse with artists and patrons from Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, France and more.
The show was naturally about paper: the making of paper, paper as a support, paper as sculpture. Stunning art was displayed on three floors of the Den Breughel Cultural Centre. The first piece one saw when entering the building was a towering paperwork by Piet Vandesompele. Here are some of the artists that were present on opening night standing in front of Piet's piece. Maurice Van der Speeten and Danielle Van Belle are in the middle.
The installation of the biennial was a work of art in itself. While the artistic production of participating artists was varied in terms of approach and technique, the exhibition came together as a cohesive whole. The curators did an outstanding job. Viewers were seamlessly guided from one artist to the other.
It was a privilege to take part in this beautiful exhibition with thirty-six artists from eleven countries. For more photos of the biennial, please take a look at my Facebook page.
These are the three works that I had on exhibit...
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| Girdle Ghosts |
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| Rubber Chicken Blues |
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| Napoleon Come Apart |
...and here I am at the vernissage sporting a "Cheshire Cat" grin.
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| Thanks to Peter Van de Vijver for the photo |
A beautiful show in an exquisite location. Goodbye Haacht! I sincerely hope to see you again someday.
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| Behind the Den Breughel Cultural Centre, a picturesque duck filled pond. |
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