pop/off/art gallery presents the first solo exhibition of Belgian artist Rik De Boe in Russia. The artist, whose style has developed over decades, is well-known for his realistic charcoal drawings.
All the images created by De Boe are based on the photographs taken by the artist. He focuses on details of the masterpieces from Johannes Vermeer to Piete Mondrian, as well as on insignificant elements of interior, architecture and daily objects, structural visual patterns, which the artist then converts into atmospheric multi-layered technically complicated drawings. Rik De Boe views masterpieces as taken in a context of modern pop culture constantly reproducing visual information in photo and video. Rik seems to pause this process inviting a viewer to live the history of art not dividing it on ‘classic’ and ‘contemporary’. Unexpected angle and cropped composition accord not only cinematographic effect, but also a sense of unity with the author's view on the world. In his analytical art De Boe extends the frontiers of realistic image. Showing an illusiveness of an image he removes the boundaries of empirical world and abstract image.
The gallery hall will be divided by an installation reconstructing the wall from artist’s studio. More than fifty works from different series will be included in the exposition. Though, the main core of the exhibition is based on drawings created during De Boe’s journey to Russia organized by pop/off/art gallery last year. Rik De Boe has visited many museums and art centers focusing on oeuvres of Russian Avant Garde that resembled his own aesthetics. This project shows the closeness of Russian and European Avant Garde, its museum contexts appeared during last century, and becomes an homage to De Boe’s favorite artists – Kazimir Malevich and Mikhail Matushin.
Rik De Boe was born in 1964 in Ninove, Belgium. He graduated from Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent in 1988. After that he studied at Higher technical institute Sint-Antonius in Ghent (1989–1991). He was awarded the 1st Prize for graphic arts, Flanders (1985, 1988) and the 1st Prize Jacques De Leger (1994). He teaches graphic and drawing at Academy of Fine Arts, Brussel since 1990. From 2007 to 2013 he was a professor for drawing at Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent. Together with an artist Peter Morrens Rik de Boe founded and curated an artist-run space Voorkamer in Lier, Belgium (1996-2016). The main objective of the venue was to support of artistic initiatives of international artists with different background. In 2015 on the basis of Voorkamer Rik De Boe founded GARAGE NEVEN in Ninove.
His works has been presented all over the world, including Moscow museum of modern art among others. His works can be found in many important collections such as VIZO Collection (Brussels. Belgium), Center for contemporary art Netwerk Aalst, ARGOS centre for audiovisual arts, and in many private European collections. He lives and works in Ninove, Belgium.
This project is organized in collaboration with Sofie Van de Velde gallery (Antwerp), that won European Gallery Award from The Federation of European Art Galleries Association in 2018.
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