Rindfleisch/Rapedius

'Papierwald'

‘Take your pleasure seriously’ Rindfleisch / Rapedius Since they were students, Rindfleisch (b. Hannover, 1975) and Rapedius (b. Norden, 1973) have always worked as an artistic duo. Their work is in the first place characterised by their enthusiastic use of a very wide range of materials. Such everyday objects as paper cups, coffee-cup lids, plastic film, cardboard and adhesive tape often provide direct inspiration for their work. In the way they deal with and subtly rework these banal materials, Rapedius/Rindfleisch transform their meaning into a poetic, sometimes even highly ‘classical’ aesthetic image, which immediately triggers a number of associations in the viewer. In this way they aim to convert the ordinary and trivial, which most of us overlook, into a new image that far transcends banality and has its own almost lyrical poetry.

Wesley Meuris

Cage for Dendrolgus Dorianus

In its series of exhibitions of up and coming artists, SMAK is presenting new work by Wesley Meuris (b. Lier, 1977). Meuris studied at St Luke’s College in Brussels and this year is graduating from the postgraduate course at the HISK (Higher Institute for Fine Art) in Antwerp. In 2002 he exhibited at the NICC’s Freespace and elsewhere, and in 2003 at W139 in Amsterdam. In 2004 his work was shown in a group exhibition in Willebroek, Dendermonde, Damme and Ename. Earlier this year he showed his work in the ‘Project Rooms’ series at Arco ’05 in Madrid.

Coming People

For the ninth successive year the Friends of the S.M.A.K. are organising the Coming People exhibition. For this group exhibition, two curators from the museum (Beatrijs Eemans and Thibaut Verhoeven) are selecting students who are graduating this year from the two Ghent art colleges, the Academy of Fine Art and St Luke’s College.

The Friends of the SMAK wish by means of the exhibitions in the Kunst Nu room to provide young artists with a platform. Occasionally space is made in this programme of young Belgians for a young non-Belgian artist to whose first steps in the art world there has been a positive reaction. In April it is the turn of the Portuguese Vasco Araujo (b. Lisbon, 1975).

Simona Denicolai, Ivo Provoost