From November 19, 2022 to April 23, 2023, the Abbey is organizing the exhibition Bob Verschueren. Fragiles natures (fragile nature). 9 plant-based installations by the internationally renowned artist Bob Verschueren enter a dialogue with the architecture of centuries-old buildings. The plastic artist who focuses on Nature Art, questions himself about the irreversibility of time with nature as artistic material. His poetic compositions echo the spirit of the site.
A dialogue between nature and architecture
Each installation arises from connections with some architectural peculiarity of ancient buildings: a pointed arch, a keystone and its ribs, a column... or with the functions of the buildings and the life of the monks: spiritual upliftment, autarky, community life … Each work echoes certain Romanesque or Gothic structural elements of the abbey.
The essence of the plants
Incidentally, it is in and through nature and in particular in plants that the Belgian artist Bob Verschueren finds his inspiration. In his work he is driven by the desire to examine each plant closely, to understand what distinguishes it from others, what makes it unique and to extract the elemental forms that structure the plant. He likes to believe that the foundations of any installation are already engraved in the plants waiting for his gaze to find them and for his hands to take them out and reveal them.
An internationally acclaimed artist
It was in 1985, in Atelier 340 (Brussels) that Bob Verschueren created his first plant installation. The artist systematically uses a single botanical species and opts for extreme frugality of resources. Since then, he has completed almost 400 installations in Belgium and abroad.
A different view of life
With his plant installations that inhabit a place, Bob Verschueren not only wants to encourage the viewer to reflect on his relationship with nature, but also to question the ephemeral - and therefore precious - nature of life.
Practical
Temporary exhibition Bob Verschueren. Fragiles natures (fragile nature)
Dates: from Saturday, November 19, 2022, to Sunday, April 23, 2023.
Timetable: accessible during the opening hours of the Abbey, from 10 am to 5 pm.
Entrance fee: admission to the Abbey is included.
Adults € 9 - Seniors, students € 7 - Children (6-12 years) € 4 - Free under 6 years.
A visitor's notebook (plan + explanation of each composition) will be on sale for € 3.
