from the inside out

Along Doornstraat, in a completely newly designed space of FONDART, in the shadow of the Texture Museum of flax and textiles, Hilde Vandaele Gallery is hosting a temporary exhibition. She presents 'from the inside out’ featuring works by artists Bram Van Breda (°1992, BE) and Michaël de Kok (°1958, NL).

The exhibition explores the connection between our immediate surroundings, urban contexts, and natural landscapes. In this era where the earth’s climate and atmosphere are suffering from the impacts of human activity – the Anthropocene – the search for new alternatives and innovative ways of thinking and creating becomes increasingly clear. Bram Van Breda expresses his impressions using reclaimed materials and invites the viewer to connect. Meanwhile, Michaël de Kok explores, with a sense of wonder, the layers of the contemporary landscape.

Nature and the environment remain complex and layered in their depiction or representation, and as humans, we may only be able to partially perceive and understand this, since we are inextricably, and inseparable connected to it. One of the metaphors for this inevitable intimacy is the perspective from within. “With the ground, the fractures, the trees, and the roots all around us, we might feel as though the skin of the earth has been turned inside out like a glove, and that we find ourselves within a deep enclosure rather than on the surface of a planet.”[1] The exhibition 'from the inside out’ therefore refers both to the making process of both artists, in which the material itself is brought to life (textile or paint), and to the inner space where wonder can arise.

The Belgian artist Bram Van Breda mainly works with recovered materials from the Belgian textile industry. His unique approach was noticed in 2017 by trend forecaster Lidewij Edelkoort, who recognized him as an International Design Talent.

Currently, he is working on a project in collaboration with the international brand G-Star RAW. At their invitation, Bram Van Breda is creating the work Streams which will consist exclusively of residual materials, with the vitality of water as its central theme. 

The production of jeans, made from sturdy cotton, is one of the most polluting and water-consuming manufacturing processes. 

The artwork will be part of an international communication campaign in which G-Star RAW demonstrates awareness and responsibility regarding environmental risks and sustainability. 

Streams will be unveiled for the first time during the exhibition from the inside out at the WONDER Creativity Festival 2024 in Kortrijk.

Artist talk: Saturday, 26 October 2024, at 16:00
Els Wuyts talks to the artists on the occasion of this expo.

[1] Alexandra Arènes, Bruno Latour en Jérôme Gaillardet, ‘Giving depth to the surface: An exercise in the Gaiagraphy of critical zones’, 2018 from the text ‘– ijl en ijler –‘ of Lut Pil, 2023