press release only in german

Rinus Van de Velde Inner Travels February 18–May 15, 2022

February 18 sees the start of the second part of the EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKSfestival with the flagship exhibition, Rinus Van de Velde: Inner Travels. For the first time, Van de Velde’s work will be shown in all its diversity and placed in dialogue with works by his fictitious travelling companions, including Pierre Bonnard, Monster Chetwynd, Joan Mitchell, Claude Monet, Laure Prouvost, Henri Rousseau, Josephine Troller, Laurie Simmons and Jean Tinguely. The exhibition is a dive into Van de Velde’s practice, culminating in the premiere of his new film, La Ruta Natural.

The train is a symbol of travel: from the everyday journey of commuters to mythical and imaginary journeys. EUROPALIA TRAINS & TRACKS celebrates all these forms of travel. The work of Rinus Van de Velde (Leuven, 1983)—who sometimes uses the train as a motif—stems from imaginary, inner journeys that the artist undertakes daily in the privacy of his studio. During these journeys, Van de Velde meets numerous other artists, and from these encounters, episodes of his fictional autobiography emerge, forming the common thread running through his work.

Based on these imaginary journeys and encounters, the artist creates his own microcosms or miniature worlds, which he elaborates in charcoal or pastel drawings, ceramics, installations, photographs or films. For the first time, this multitude of media will be presented together in one large exhibition.

The exhibition is further enriched by a series of talks and a performance programme in which Dolores and Charlotte Bouckaert, Monster Chetwynd, Rita Hoofwijk, Gaëtan Rusquet and Damien Petitot present a broader perspective on the themes of travel and encounters.

A production by EUROPALIA Arts Festival.

Curators
Rinus Van de Velde
Julie Verheye (Exhibition Coordinator, EUROPALIA)
Dirk Vermaelen (Artistic Director EUROPALIA)