Leon Vranken

Belgian artist (born 1975)

(Learn how and when to remove this message)

Leon Vranken (born 1975, Maaseik, Belgium) is a Belgian artist. He lives and works in Antwerp (Belgium).^[1]^[2]

Biography and works

Leon Vranken's work is radical in its simplicity and pays tremendous attention to material and finish, expressing both tension and calm. He interweaves expectation with technical expertise.^[3] With a background in landscape architecture, after his artistic education in Situ at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, he has devoted his energies to the visual arts. His diverse works– sculptures, installations, photos or interventions – are mainly developed in interaction with space. Vranken completed his education at the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Ghent in 2007, and has had international exhibitions in cities including New York, Londen and Toronto.

Leon Vranken is always able to disrupt direct visual recognisability by depriving everyday objects of their function and deliberately using various materials. One could describe his work as sculptural trompe l'oeils, alluring yet misleading configurations.^[4] Geometric ensembles, sophisticated sculptures and fake ready-mades are painstakingly orchestrated in space. Shape, presentation and meaning slide continuously over each other like tectonic plates. With his spatial compositions the artist defies gravity, the viewer and the medium. The image enters into dialogue with the frame, the sculpture with the pedestal.^[5]^[6]

Solo exhibitions

2015

( 1³ ) ² = 1, LLS 387 ruimte voor actuele kunst, Antwerp (Belgium)^[7]
Art Geneva, Geneva (Switzerland)

2014

Paper, Scissors, Stone, Z33, Hasselt (Belgium)^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]

2013

A Cat's Eye Perspective, Meessen De Clercq, Brussels (Belgium)^[12]

2011

Don't whistle 'till you're out of the wood, White Box, New York (USA)

2010

The Beauty of Painting (Chapter I), Concertgebouw, Brugge (Belgium)

2009

The Travelling Riddle, Stella Lohaus Gallery, Antwerpen (Belgium)

2007

The Garden with the Two-forked Paths, Diaz Contemporary, Toronto (Canada)
Verger Barré, Maes en Matthys Gallery, Antwerpen (Belgium)

References

^ Spiegler, Marc. "Artist : Leon Vranken". Art Basel. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
^ Wouter, David (2014). ARTFORUM INTERNATIONAL. p. 393-393. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
^ BUNGERT, Petra. "My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble @ Sydney College of the Arts Gallery (AUS)". CCNOA. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
^ Benedetti, Fitzpatrick, Gregos, L., C., K. (2015). Leon Vranken. Line drawings (Les presses du réel ed.). p. 136.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ Crowet, Gillion. "Leon Vranken". Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ Štěch, Adam (1 August 2016). "Conceptual Carpenter Leon Vranken's pristine practice". DAMN° Magazine.
^ De Clerck, Felix. "Belgium – Young Belgian Painters Award 2009 – Lara Mennes, Leon Vranken, Jeroen Hollander and Nico Dockx". Flanders Arts Institute. Visual Arts. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
^ Eurlings, Ellen. "Leon Vranken – Paper-Scissors-Stone". Z33. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ Verbiest, Christophe. "The wonderful world of in situ artist Leon Vranken". Retrieved 14 July 2016.
^ Wouter, David. "Leon Vranken: Z33 – House for Contemporary Art". Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
^ Ruyters, Marc (5 June 2014). "Leon Vranken fileert Z33 in Hasselt". HArt Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
^ Vanhoutte, Isabelle (1 May 2013). "LEON VRANKEN". Harmonie. 10. Retrieved 15 July 2016.

Sources

L., C. (15 December 2015). "La Française provinciale et l'Américaine du Sud". Arts Libres.
Steverlynck, Sam (5 June 2014). "Steen, Schaar, Papier". H ART.
De Baets, Isabelle (1 March 2011). "Wankel evenwicht". OKV.
Debruyne, Johan (24 June 2010). "Sculptuur wordt schilderij". H ART.
P.T., R. (4 October 2013). "Léon Vranken ou l'illusion du réel". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)