Annie Gentils Gallery

ANNIE GENTILS GALLERY

 

Wesley Meuris - Verticality 25.10 / 29.11 2020

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Drawings, sculptures and installations by the Belgian artist Wesley Meuris (*1977), present a strongly architectural, or even scientific character.
Things which could, at first glance, appear as devices for presenting data or artefacts, are, in fact works of art in themselves. By bringing these mechanisms and demonstration objects to light, Wesley Meuris points at our way of presenting and seeing things.

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Meuris looks into the area of natural history, anthropology, technology and even speculative sciences where remarkable forms of presentation have been developed to convey insights on how to understand the environment we live in. The title of the exhibition, Verticality, refers to the slow but definite change in our perception and understanding of the world around us: the extended gaze, looking from space towards earth, but also into the opposite direction, far into space. After the horizontal search and investigation of the earth’s surface (Age of Discovery and Colonial Period), we now enter an era where the vertical stratification both deep beneath the earth's surface and far beyond the atmosphere generates new futuristic visions. Rapidly changing conditions on earth stimulate scientists, project developers and technicians to make far-reaching and unseen progression in how to think about new habitations, advanced observation and remarkable communication systems.

Equipped devices, high tech sensors, multi-layered cameras are just a few of the new perception tools to revisit earthly conditions, but also to examine non-earthly environments. Deeply rooted parameters of understanding our place here on earth are becoming debatable.

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In this exhibition, Wesley Meuris departs from this notion, a progress that cannot be grasped, neither be stopped, let alone slowed down. Through drawings and seemingly technical drafts he considers human activity in space. Sketches and diagrams are representing existing objects in space but suggesting also new

perspectives in how devices can extend the visible and liveable space. Deconstructed sculptural objects reflect on architectural structures that are obtained in a search for new habitats.

‘Verticality’ is the 8th solo exhibition at the Annie Gentils Gallery since 2002.

 

Wesley Meuris had important solo exhibitions at:
Musée des Arts Contemporain, Grand Hornu (BE) (2017) 

Centre Pompidou, Paris, (2018)

Centre d’Art Contemporain, Amilly (Fr) (2017)

; Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers (FR) (2016)

Mu. Zee, Oostende (BE) (2015) 

Espace Jeudi Jeudi, Geneva (CH) (2015)

BF15, Lyon (2014)

Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’ Art Contemporain (2012)

Culturual Centre Knokke-Heist (BE) (2011);

SMAK, Ghent (2005)

De Bond, Bruges (2010)

Art & Essai Gallery, Rennes (FR) (2010)

STUK, Leuven (BE), 2002.
And Installations and art works in group shows at Eclips (Willebroek) (2004);
Fresnoy, Tourcoing FR) (2010)

MAMAC Liège (BE) (2010)

Middelheim Museum Antwerp (BE) (2010)

San Gimignano (It),( 2010)

L’espace de l’art Concret, Mouans- Sartoux (Fr) (2013)

Royal Museum of Fine Arts Brussels (2013)

Lewis Glucksman gallery Cork (IR), 2014 

Kunsthalle Vienna, (2016)

Wiels Brussels,(2017)

TENT (Witte De With) Rotterdam, (2015) etc.