When Liesbet Grupping introduced Roeland Tweelinckx’s work to Sébastien Pauwels, she quickly proposed a collaboration, trusting her intuition. Her vision proved correct: Roeland and Sébastien discovered a strong common ground and began meeting regularly in Roeland’s studio. This led to the creation of an experimental laboratory fueled by in-depth dialogues and dynamic synergy.
It is what it is explores the domain of sculpture but extends beyond the medium itself. This initiative disrupts traditional exhibition development methods, emphasizing collaboration and dialogue as fundamental values. Despite initially solitary approaches, both artists embraced this opportunity to break their routines and intertwine their practices. By delving into each other’s work, a conversation emerged that challenged them to question and expand their practices, resulting in a transformative shift in their work.
The exhibition at Violet reflects the lively and thought-provoking exchanges between the two artists. This installation represents one of many possibilities—a moment in which Roeland and Sébastien chose to pause and reveal their process to the public.
The exhibition unfolds in various forms and presentation styles. Some works follow a more conventional exhibition format, while others experiment with flexible structures that capture the fleeting traces of their collaborative process, bearing witness to its ephemeral nature.
Beyond these elements, the exhibition also highlights the theme of joy, embodying the instinctive pleasure that arises from genuine encounters. Within a space of openness, the artists uncover new dimensions of a practice they once thought they fully understood.
What you see is what you get. And conversely:
It is what it is
Sébatien Pauwels, 1977 Lives and works in Brussels
While Sébastien Pauwels creates individual sculptures, his entire body of work feels like one interconnected family— not just because he is the sole creator, but due to the unique, circular genesis of each piece. Often, new works are born from the leftover materials of previous projects, fostering a deep sense of cohesion and continuity throughout his oeuvre. Constructed primarily from cardboard, fiberglass, and layers of paint, Pauwels’ sculptures deceive the eye in their interplay of volume, form, and weight. What initially appears flat soon reveals a three-dimensional complexity, exploring the dynamics of positive and negative space. His sculptures invite an immersive, bodily engagement, where matter and void, light and shadow, are intricately interwoven. The result is a distinct and powerful visual language that both stands on its own and playfully nods to traditions ranging from the ancient to late modern abstract art.
Roeland Tweelinckx, 1970 Lives and works in Antwerp
Roeland Tweelinckx creates sculptures and site-specific interventions. In his work—based on everyday objects—he subtly engages with the environment and challenges our perception. His pieces have a strong trompe-l’oeil quality, creating a light sense of confusion in the viewer, while simultaneously inviting a disruption of our conditioned way of seeing. His minimalist, effortless artistic approach meanders between recognition and estrangement, between authenticity and illusion, between an unguarded perspective and intellectual seriousness. With a sense of casualness and absurdity, he conjures a universe where ordinary objects effortlessly transform into sculptures and vice versa.
Perhaps they are all photographs, capturing — in reference to ‘le moment décisif’ — that single fraction of a second? What’s certain is that they question the status of the object, as well as the status of art (and art history) in 2024, and how these relate to the current post-digital world of simulacra and illusions, saturated with digital images and self- representation.
We recommend taking your time when viewing Roeland Tweelinckx’s work. Let it come to you slowly, so that it lingers long after. (Sofie Crabbé)
[NL]
In It Is What It Is verkennen Sébastien Pauwels en Roeland Tweelinckx elkaars werkprocessen, treden ze in elkaars territoria en laten ze hun artistieke praktijken samensmelten. Wij nodigen u van harte uit voor de opening van It Is What It Is door Sébastien Pauwels en Roeland Tweelinckx op zaterdag 9 november, van 16:00 tot 21:00.