Opening reception: ‘Berlinde De Bruyckere. Stages & Tales’

Please join us for the opening reception of 'Berlinde De Bruyckere. Stages & Tales'.

Occupying the Rhoades and Bourgeois galleries, De Bruyckere will present two new bodies of work selected in direct relation to the spaces they are exhibited in. The Belgian sculptor embraces a greater level of abstraction, while continuing to deploy her familiar sensitivity for materials. In the first body, wall-mounted works are composed of heavily weathered, semi-decomposed blankets built up in layers, suggesting absence and presence of warmth and protection, but also the vulnerable experiences that lead one to seek shelter. The second, floor-based sculptures, initially resemble piles of blankets, but on closer inspection are revealed to be wax casts of stacked animal skins. Predominantly grey in colour, these powerful, organic works combine weight and delicacy to mesmerising effect. Both bodies of work continue to explore the theme of mortality that De Bruyckere has revisited throughout her career.

This is a free event, no booking necessary

Header image: Berlinde De Bruyckere, Courtyard Tales, 2017-2018, Blankets, Wood, Polyurethane, Epoxy © Berlinde De Bruyckere. Photo: Mirjam Devriendt