Leon Vranken Explained

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)

Sources

• L.. C.. La Française provinciale et l'Américaine du Sud. Arts Libres. 15 December 2015.
• Steverlynck. Sam. Steen, Schaar, Papier. H ART. 5 June 2014.
• De Baets. Isabelle. Wankel evenwicht. OKV. 1 March 2011.
• Debruyne. Johan. Sculptuur wordt schilderij. H ART. 24 June 2010.
• P.T.. R.. Léon Vranken ou l'illusion du réel. 4 October 2013.

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Spiegler. Marc. Artist : Leon Vranken. Art Basel. 15 July 2016.
2. Book: Wouter. David. ARTFORUM INTERNATIONAL. 2014. 393-393. 15 July 2016.
3. Web site: BUNGERT. Petra. My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble @ Sydney College of the Arts Gallery (AUS). CCNOA. 15 July 2016.
4. Book: Benedetti, Fitzpatrick, Gregos. L., C., K.. Leon Vranken. Line drawings. 2015. 136. Les presses du réel.
5. Web site: Crowet. Gillion. Leon Vranken. 14 July 2016.
6. Štěch. Adam. Conceptual Carpenter Leon Vranken's pristine practice. DAMN° Magazine. 1 August 2016.
7. Web site: De Clerck. Felix. Belgium – Young Belgian Painters Award 2009 – Lara Mennes, Leon Vranken, Jeroen Hollander and Nico Dockx. Flanders Arts Institute. Visual Arts. 15 July 2016.
8. Web site: Eurlings. Ellen. Leon Vranken – Paper-Scissors-Stone. Z33. 14 July 2016.
9. Web site: Verbiest. Christophe. The wonderful world of in situ artist Leon Vranken. 14 July 2016.
10. Web site: Wouter. David. Leon Vranken: Z33 – House for Contemporary Art. 15 July 2016. 19 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819065257/https://www.questia.com/magazine/1G1-382088394/leon-vranken-z33-house-for-contemporary-art. dead.
11. Ruyters. Marc. Leon Vranken fileert Z33 in Hasselt. HArt Magazine. 5 June 2014. 15 July 2016.
12. Vanhoutte. Isabelle. LEON VRANKEN. Harmonie. 1 May 2013. 10. 15 July 2016.