Kyiv
Jan Fabre. Individual Exposition
From February 7 to April 27, the Kyiv art-gallery PinchukArtCentre will host the first in Eastern Europe individual exposition of Belgian vanguard artist, Jan Fabre. This exhibition is a continuation of critical reflection on the Belgium’s colonial past. Composed of two chapters, the exposition consists of 36 spectacular mosaics, 23 sculptures and two large-scale triptychs; including 28 new works, created exclusively for PinchukArtCentre.
The first chapter – “Tribute to Belgian Congo” – tells about the enslavement of millions of Congolese and the atrocities committed against them as well as the greed of the colonialists, who stole as much as possible of the natural riches the country had to offer. Fabre depicts the brand logos and products of companies that co-organized the horrors in the name of profit, the whole pride of Belgian industrialists of the late 19th century.
The second chapter of the exhibition – “Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo” – deals with the absurdity and horror of what happened in the country in a more symbolical way, using both the iconography and imagery of paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. The works give artistic form to evil deeds and stand as an arresting critique of the folly that ensues when men lose their bearings in life.
