Zone of Crossovers
Belgian video and film artists have created their own space in this context of cultural diversity. Given the absence of a common tongue or established codes, a history of proactive, innovative Belgian projects has been written by artists from different backgrounds. While film and television heed the conventions and rules of the game relating to content and form, video and auteur film have provided a fertile ground where the aesthetic and ideological bases of the image have been questioned, eliminating external parameters, historical precedents and cultural and academic orientations. The works chosen for this series represent no more than a small cross-section aimed at illustrating the particular, inalienable universe each of the artists represents.
Most of the works in this programme are united by their eclecticism and crossover with other disciplines. With their interpretation of The Walkyrie the Theys brothers modernise the Wagnerian Gesammtkunstwerk. Stefaan Decostere (Kortrijk, 1955) operates like a Trojan horse within the mass medium of television. Thierry De Mey (Brussels, 1956), Eric Pauwels (Amberes, 1953) and Antonin de Bemels (Brussels, 1975) attempt to transcend genre limits using a dialogue between the camera and dance, while other artists relate to performance art, architecture and urbanism, disrupting aesthetic boundaries. In a world where experiences are increasingly formatted and popularised, there is a need for these types of singularities, for a healthy dose of nomadicity and renewal. And that is what these artists stand for.