Jan Kempenaers & Jerry Galle
At Panache Towers we take a special interest in art that is an exploration of the ontology of the image, or an experiment in image (re)production. In our upcoming exhibition, we are showing the work of two artists:
Jan Kempenaers is known for his detailed panoramic images of industrial and urbanized landscapes, where buildings or natural elements take the form of sculptural objects. His latest project, a venture into abstract photography, takes his work to the next level. During his residency at the Frans Masereel Center in 2015, Kempenaers investigated the effect of combining different photographed images into one silk screen printed image. This experiment – in part inspired by the work of László Moholy-Nagy – resulted in a remarkable series of prints. This evolution from figurative to abstract work is not as surprising as it may seem: his previous photographic series already reveal an emphasis on composition and formal autonomy.
In this exhibition, Kempenaers confronts his work with the 'techno-images' of fellow artistic researcher Jerry Galle, who explores the relationship between digital technology and contemporary culture. Galle, originally a painter, takes an interest in binary systems and the apparent impossibility of doubt that these systems – with their yes/no, on/off logic – imply. Galle injects doubt – a theme central to his work – in these digital systems, making them behave unpredictably. Utilising algorithms to connect code and image, he explores how computer generated images can be less logical or determined. At the core of this approach lies an interest in emotional connection we make with (digital) images. The resulting works in constant flux, producing a pictorial language that is ambiguous and open to interpretation.
Jan Kempenaers & Jerry Galle
20.05–24.06.2016
Tue–Fri 10am–6pm or by appointment
Panache Towers
Frankrijklei 73
2000 Antwerpen
Opening Thursday 19.05.2016 – 19:30
part of the Antwerp Art Weekend programme
www.antwerpart.be/weekend