EPIFANIE

The CRKC wanted the exhibition to encourage contemporary developments in the field of religious art. At the request of the Flemish bishops, the realization of the exhibition was entrusted to two well-known curators, namely Jan Hoet of the SMAK in Ghent and Mark Delrue of Bruges. Philosopher Jan Koenot of the UFSIA in Antwerp provides the basic lecture in the catalog.

The exhibition was named “Epiphany, Contemporary Art & Religion, Park Abbey 2000. This title refers to God’s Revelation and is related to the period in which the exhibition is held (ends on Sunday after Epiphany). Moreover, this title also appeals to non-religious people (epiphany as apparition) and there is an interesting link to other revelation religions. The exhibition did not offer a chronological overview of contemporary religious art. The uniqueness of the site presents the imperative to start from a dialogue with the site. Space dictates to the works of art to which it is receptive. The artworks there suggested a contemporary interpretation of the concepts of spirituality and religion. They are therefore works of art that “can” fit into a religious atmosphere. Art that “allows” a comparison with a form of religion, without consciously pursuing or incorporating it, and without seeking to set it as the norm.

There, the artists searched for the universal core of the story and depicted it in their own way. For this exhibition, artists were invited, each expressing the universal essence of being human from their own world. That core, by definition, is religious and spiritual. The fundamental themes in life are still dominated by the religious, especially life and death.

Photos realization

Findings

When designing a cemetery, Andy Malengier takes into account the interaction between the parts themselves and the surroundings. He wishes to metamorphose the cemetery back into a sacred place where it is pleasant to be. Inspired by Ernst Haeckel, he creates designs derived in structure from natural structures. This gives the implantation of the floor plan something organic.

For Park Abbey, Andy Malengier is creating a design for the extension of the cemetery outside the walled site. The gate giving access to the current cemetery was replaced with glass, on which the design was printed. In this way, the viewer not only gets to see an abstract geometric figure, but at the same time (literally through the glass containing the design) can glimpse into the future that transcends death.

Rolf Quaghebeur, SMAK Ghent