We’re turning our focus to Brussels today, taking a look at current and recent exhibitions like Laure Prouvost at Galerie Nathalie Obadia and works by Vivian Suter presented by Gladstone Gallery.
Jesse Mockrin, “Face to face,” 2020, oil on cotton, 43 x 30 inches; photo by Hugard & Vanoverschelde, courtesy of the artist and Almine Rech
“Resting Point of Accommodation” at Almine Rech
April 21—May 28
Organized in collaboration with Bill Powers, “Resting Point of Accommodation” is a group exhibition featuring works by 15 artists. Titled after an optical term referring to the default distance eyes settle on when out of focus—a state often inhabited by daydreamers—this playful crossroads of science and poetry acts as a starting point for the featured works. On view are works like Ana Benaroya’s look at sensory disruption Don’t Be Cruel, Jesse Mockrin’s focus on the act of looking, as well pieces from Hiba Schahbaz, Leyla Faye, Kathia St Hilaire, Asif Hoque, and Hiejin Yoo.
Installation view, Vivan Suter “Wolf’s Hour,” courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery Brussels.
Vivian Suter at Gladstone Gallery
March 11—April 30
Looking back on Vivian Suter’s recent exhibition “Wolf’s Hour,” the artist presented a selection of mixed media paintings at Gladstone Gallery. Featuring works from over 30 years of the artist’s career, the gallery’s Belgian townhouse setting served as a backdrop for an installation of unstretched canvases, hung across the space like tapestries. The presentation offered new context to Suter’s work, which includes imagery from the natural world while simultaneously being imposed upon by the same elements—like rainwater, animal tracks, and eroded soil—as a result of the artist’s home studio setting in the lush landscape of the Guatemalan lowlands.
Antonio Obá, “Banhistas Nº 3 – Espreita,” 2020, oil on canvas, 189.5 × 266.5 cm; © the artist, photo by Kristien Daem, courtesy of the artist and Mendes Wood DM Sao Paulo, New York, Brussels.
Antonio Obá at Mendes Wood
April 22—June 6
Filling the entirety of Mendes Wood’s gallery space, Antonio Obá’s “Outros Ofícios” features a series of works on canvas and drawings. Pulling from influences like personal family photographs and imagery from history, myths, and legends, Obá’ employs symbolism from religion and mysticism as a means of looking at people enslaved by colonialism. The artist has created allegorical scenarios that subvert history in order to restore agency and power to his subjects, intermingling the stories of historical figures like Ruby Bridges and Saint Lucia of Syracuse.
Laure Prouvost, “The Hidden Spring Production – Renewal,” 2021, Oil on canvas, 90 x 70 x 2,5 cm; courtesy of the artist and Galerie Nathalie Obadia Paris / Brussels.
Laure Prouvost at Galerie Nathalie Obadia
April 8—May 29
Titled “Reaching hi her grounds from the rub he she we grow,” Laure Prouvost’s first exhibition in Brussels since relocating to the city is a hopeful ode to spring and the renewal of nature. Each floor of Galerie Nathalie Obadia has been transformed to represent a state in the process of blossoming. Sensual, effeminate, and intuitive, the installation engulfs the viewer with a sense of optimism amid current events through featured works like the thread and tapestry A sign of God, the abstracted flora ceramic work Swallow swallow nid (west wall), and the oil painting The Hidden Spring Production – Renewal.
