The "Pieces" Collection is a handcrafted collection of miniature parquet floors by Davy Van Roy, interwoven with elements of brass, gold leaf, or simple acrylic paint. The parquet is made of native oak, finished using the Japanese woodworking technique Shou Sugi Ban, or Yakisugi, in which the wood is preserved by fire. Afterward, the wood is brushed and treated with natural oil. This process results in a durable finish that enhances the texture of the wood.

Rob creates his models using wood, iron wire, sewing thread, and often everyday objects. The new context in which they are placed gives them a symbolic meaning. The scale of the miniature societies offers the viewer a bird's-eye view and invites reflection on a possible alternative perspective on humanity. The intense activity illustrates that our collaboration is always a theme in these artworks. The artist wanted to emphasize this because, as individuals, we often define ourselves in groups by what we do together.

https://www.robbuelens.be

'Asil’s Armor': In the Middle Ages, a commander’s equipment was made from high-quality material, crafted with great skill. The material shift to toilet paper in this work also causes a permutation in the meaning of the artifact.

While cultural and moral heritage draws its persuasive power for the knightly ideal from the material, this work reveals a directed historical experience that does not yet validate the re-lived claim of morality. As a child, the artist was fully immersed in this militaristic narrative of honor and still carries the residue of this romantic way of thinking.

The ‘Pieces’ collection by artist Davy Van Roy emerged from a love for both craftsmanship and art, as well as the textures of materials. He aims to unite these elements in geometric patterns.

Other projects by the artist include The Perpetual Receiving Gift, The World is Yours, Inside the Wall, among others.

Since 2000, the artist has been extensively exploring the applicability of digital technologies (particularly Photoshop and Lightroom). With the advent of the first generative AI programs, his photographic horizon expanded, introducing a new artistic perspective.

His knowledge of movement tools for digital photography has helped the artist craft a ‘prompt’ that reflects his ideas.

Welcome to ‘Dreamography,’ where unphotographable fantasies and dreams can be captured.

Detail from the work of artist ALEXANDER MARIA LOHMANN. These beautiful artworks can be admired until September 15th at Coutre M.A.M.

Artist Alexander Maria Lohmann is a man of extremes. As a pioneer, adventurer, and explorer, he is always in search of new challenges and uncharted territory, both during his travels around the world and in his studio. He is fascinated by contrasts and contradictions. From war-torn conflict zones to the most remote jungles, from the African deserts to the icy peaks of the Himalayas, and the bustling metropolises around the world: he has traveled to nearly every corner of the earth and captured it in his photographs.

Lifid project: Backgammon (board game)

Over weeks, months and years, the live images from different time and climate zones give the viewer insight into the current state of the Earth and its continuous changes over time.

Backgammon shows a map of the Earth. The black triangles and circles represent humanity, the white color represents nature. It is a depiction of man versus nature. The round surfaces with letters are digitized panels. The monitors for live images are located in these places 24/7.

LÍFIÐ Monopoly, a brief history of the earth (160x160cm)

"Monopoly" depicts the history of the Earth: the Big Bang, the emergence of the first cells and living organisms,...

Through dramatic events such as wars, climate change, etc., life is gradually erased and, in the future, everything will end as it began.

Crossing boundaries and capturing extreme contrasts under the most unfavorable circumstances is what distinguishes the artistic work of Alexander Maria Lohmann and gives his works their incredible power and depth.

Alexander not only documents the present but also spans a wide arc from the darkest past to the distant future. He looks beyond the images to the burning issues of our time, such as the loss of biodiversity, climate change, and more.

In his project, the artist takes a new approach by combining his motifs with a pronounced materiality that gives his works authenticity and a tangible feel.

https://www.alexandermarialohm...

From 5/8 to 8/8, Coutre M.A.M. prepares the exhibition of artist Alexander Maria Lohmann. We will work behind closed doors these days.

We look forward to welcoming you to the vernissage on 8/8 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can then visit the exhibition until 15/9. Welcome!

Artistic photographer Veerle De Vriendt directs her lens towards trees, a theme she re-experiences as a slumbering memory from her youth. As a child, she wandered through a small grove, her paradise of play and discovery, where the trees whispered and the wind told stories.

For years, Veerle did not think about that green treasure. The world of her childhood faded in the whirlwind of life. But when both her parents passed away, the memories came back like waves.

In her mourning and quest for processing her grief, she decided to explore the theme of trees in her photographic work, as a way to shape her emotions and honor her memories. With her analog camera, she captured the trees, not merely as objects, but as bearers of her personal symbolism.

Veerle's work is an intimate journey through the forest of her memories, an ode to the trees that were once her playmates. Through her lens, the forest speaks again, in images that offer both comfort and inspiration, inviting the viewer to pause and reflect on their own roots, their own stories, hidden among the leaves of life.

The swells of life

Starting from the moving image as a medium, the artist, an interior architect by training, thought about the coming and going of time and the changes caused by it. The floating world, the succession of generations. Degroote combines still images, snapshots of family holidays, family parties,... smoothly, as smoothly as memories. The images are projected by a unique installation, waving and washing ashore.

You can admire the exhibition of Ellen Vanholen and Carlos Albert at Coutre M.A.M until Sunday, June 2. We would be happy to meet you and guide you through the exhibition.

You would like more information about the works of art: veerle@coutre.be

www.coutre.be

Polished stainless steel - unique work

Title: Rama Viva

Dimensions: 30x34x17cm

Charcoal drawing

Title: Bernstein

Dimensions: 21x30cm and 16x20cm

Works in the spotlight by artist Ellen Vanholen!

On the left: 'Bernstein'

On the right: 'Collage Inchiostro'

Dimensions: 30x40cm

For more information: Coutre M.A.M. (Kleinvleeshuissteeg 2A in Ghent) - veerle@coutre.be

Work of art in the spotlight by top artist Carlos Albert (Madrid, Spain).

Title: Extasis

Material: painted corten steel

Dimensions: 109x40x25cm

°1963 in Ghent

Study: Graphic Arts in Sint-Lucas Ghent - 1986

Ellen Vanholen has developed as an artist who finds deep resonance within the contemporary art world. After completing her studies, she immersed herself in the movements of Arte Povera and material art.

Her oeuvre, often characterized by the use of simple or overlooked materials, explores themes such as vulnerability, the transience of existence and the solitary human experience. Her artistic quest goes beyond the material: she strives to uncover hidden meanings and connections with the universe, an endeavor she sees as a journey into the 'fourth dimension'.

Ellen's approach to art is deeply philosophical, a view that manifests in her belief that art is never finished but is left in a state where it can continue to grow and develop. The creations are not only aesthetic in nature but also serve as catalysts for introspection about our existence and the human position within the cosmic whole.

www.ellenvanholen.com

°1978 in Madrid (Spain)

Study: Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Madrid, 2003
Study stay at the Camberwell College of Arts (University of the Arts London)

Carlos Albert is an all-round artist. He designs and creates his works himself. The raw iron and steel is bent, twisted, cut and completely surrendered to the creative power of the sculptor.

The steel plates that make up the monumental sculptures fit together perfectly and provide an incredible and formal simplicity to complex works. The void as well as matter is an essential part of Carlos Albert's work. The artist has introduced color in his recent works. In combination with the essential elements of sculpture, he believes they enhance the beauty and expression of the material. After winning several competitions, a few of the artist's monumental sculptures were integrated into public spaces. Carlos Albert was also selected to create works for museums (Vietnam in 2018, Havana and Miami in 2019), confirming his progression at the international level.

The exhibition with artist Carlos Albert was made possible with the cooperation of the Aquilaluna art gallery (Rue Lieutenant Pirard 16, 4607 Dalhem/Liège).

www.aquilaluna.com

www.carlosalbertscultor.com

Bronze artwork: 'Unspoken words'
Price: €4 400

'Mare Nostrum'

Acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100cm: €2 500

Work of art in the spotlight by artist Vincent van Eeden (current exhibition at Coutre M.A.M., Kleinvleeshuissteeg 2A in Ghent)!

This painting 'L'histoire (se répète)' is based on the fire on April 15, 2019 of the Parisian French-Gothic cathedral Notre-Dame (built in the period 1163-1225, according to the idea of ​​Bishop Maurice de Sully).
The cathedral caught fire during the renovation. The lead-clad oak roof structure (some trees were from the 8th century) was almost totally destroyed.
Notre-Dame will reopen at the end of 2024.
Size: 100 x 100cm
Price: €2 675

You would like a beautiful sculpture in plaster of your body? Frank Mortier, current artist at Coutre M.A.M., will take care of this for the very nice price of €650. You can register via veerle@coutre.be

Bernadette Schoon - Mare Nostrum

°Ghent, 1945

Education: Drawing and painting at the Latem School: 'Latems Creatief' (student of Monic Wittebolle, teacher of graphics at the Sint-Lucasacademie Ghent and Art Academy Tielt).

The works of artist Bernadette Schoon, alias “Be.eS”, are a continuous search for balance, both in form and color. She knows how to express a rich variety of intense feelings in a sober way. Bernadette wants to bring peace and harmony to our chaotic world with her work: ZEN! She uses acrylic paint on canvas, linen and handmade paper to achieve her expressions. Be.eS is also socially committed: part of the proceeds from its work goes to 'Tajo', a talent studio for young people in Ghent and Kortrijk. Social vulnerability denies opportunities, especially among young people. To seize opportunities, young people must first be given opportunities.

Art does not represent the visible, but makes the invisible “visible” (Paul Klee)

Frank Mortier

°Deinze, 1959

Education: Municipal Academy Deinze

A journey of discovery into humanity,
past,
the limitless skin,
the layers
where the soul
is hiding
a longing journey
to the inner source
who shows himself,
full of sentences without words
disguised in images
full of meaning.

Vincent van Eeden

°Voorburg (NL), 1969 Lives and works in Ghent

Education: Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, including with Fred Bervoets

Close off from the outside world for a while. Open the third dimension in your thoughts... Enter a world where different laws of gravity apply, where light and dark support each other, where seas and skies surround the exuberance... The works are stories born from the painter's rich and profound imagination. A fantasy based on knowledge. A knowledge that presupposes certainty. Security because of the laws of Love, struggle and security. And then… points of rest that can be found in every work, where the scales are in balance again, the lakes of silence, the view of the future born from the feminine element… Vincent van Eeden, as the youngest grandson of writer and poet Frederik van Eeden continues the artistic line on the blank canvas. Poetry, sculpture and performing arts have also found his fascination over time.

Vincent's poem 'Vulnerable' describes his work well:

“In freedom I give you love,
In love I let you go.
Dependence surpassed,
binds the soul,
what sprang from the source,
finds the soul
her equal in the source.
In freedom
the source finds its soul
…”

Piet Van

°1955, Diksmuide

Courses KASK Ghent, film animation

Living and working place: Bon-Secours

Piet Van is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist. His artistic repertoire includes delicate pencil drawings, paintings, architectural compositions, small sculptures, monumental installations and patented inventions. Artist Piet demonstrates a unique combination of talents and a deep understanding of materials, which has driven his remarkable art projects over the past 50 years. Each of Piet's works of art reflects the artist's complex thought process and demonstrates an unwavering commitment to diversity and innovation. Even after decades in the art world, he remains an active force, constantly involved in new and exciting art projects that push boundaries and continue to captivate audiences.

Johan Tahon (Menen, 1965) did not become a sculptor. He always has been and always will be. For him, sculpting is like breathing. At an early age he discovered that objects gave lightness to the heaviness of existence. Pain was his driving force, yet each of the images created under his hands gave him a glimpse of the beauty of rebirth. Tahon was instantly hooked, went to study sculpture at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK) in Ghent and was not yet thirty when he entered the international art arena. Since then he has always been on the road, never to arrive. Restless and full of longing for the unspeakable, Johan Tahon explores the boundaries of the great unknown. Relying on his material, technique and skill, he fearlessly and stubbornly searches for the nothing that is at the same time everything. Towards a present that is also past and future. To the silence that says it all. In recent decades, Tahon has breathed life into an impressive row of mysterious bronze, plaster and ceramic sculptures: wounded giants and unapproachable angels, tormented creatures and demure monks, sensual nudes and amorphous hybrids. All of them – whether they fit in the palm of your hand or reach monumental heights – float between earth and heaven.

'Double Van Gogh' is a plaster sculpture made in response to Johan Tahon's solo exhibition 'Van Gogh-Preacher' in the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Zundert.

D.D. Trans, synonym of Frank Tuytschaever (Kruiskerke, 1963), is a conceptual artist who often gives a small, surreal transformation to everyday objects in his work. He short-circuits the connection between created things and their meaning, ignited by association, a touch of rebellion and an undertone of melancholy. His work is humorous and minimalist. The work of D.D. Trans looks light but stings deeper than it seems. He examines the status of the found object as a work of art in a well-aimed but unpretentious manner.

In the 1990s, Jacqueline Peeters (Eindhoven, 1961) started making paintings with the text Unsold Painting no. 48, no. 49, etc., and she painted price lists of her unsold works. She now uses some of her old, unsold paintings as a basis for new paintings. Peeters paints windows over it as views into the past. This play with past and present is also reflected in her paintings about her Indian family tree. These are both a nod to current identity thinking and a tribute to her ancestors.

Artist William Phillips exhibits his special work in the medieval Calefactorium of Coutre M.A.M. (Kleinvleeshuissteeg 2A in 9000 Ghent).

Herr Seele delighted us with a visit on Sunday, October 22 and showed enormous interest and appreciation for the works of art.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until November 4, 2023.

Carlos Eggermont, ° in 1933 in Ghent

Exhibitions: Belgium (Oostende, Ghent, Ronse, Ypres,...), Paris, Netherlands.

Carlos Eggermont was an art dealer, designer furniture seller, self-taught interior designer but above all a passionate painter. His works have a roughness that is reminiscent of certain primal representations. The human primacy is never completely distanced: animal in our drives, impulses, instincts and human in our being and appearance. Exceptions to this are the paintings with a geometric slant, planes that arise from the architectural designs. The main part of Eggermont's oeuvre is quite dark in nature. He doesn't need color to tell his story or bring his work to life. However, he is not opposed to color. The proof of this is that color appears here and there, especially in his more recent work.

Hugo De Leener, ° in 1954 in Ostend

Residence and workplace: Asper-Gavere

Education: Academy of Fine Arts in Bruges, Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent

Exhibitions: Amsterdam, Cologne, Scotland, Saint Petersburg, Italy, London.

Hugo De Leener is an atypical artist.

The drawings in his books grow slowly. Hugo strolls through the streets of Brussels, Ghent and other cities. He sees and thinks. During his train rides he gives the first fleeting impetus and at home he writes, draws, rolls, paints, prints, perforates, pastes,... he continues in an intuitive way until the composition convinces him. His writing, an essential part of his drawings, evokes an endless universe and reveals an enormous imagination.

Hugo's drawings are separate from his objects. He transforms the humblest material into objects of deep poetic beauty. The viewer is given every opportunity to fill in the broad framework of meanings himself or not.

His installations and assemblages enchant the viewer with their intriguing simplicity. The attentive viewer will notice the subtle humorous note in some works. One could say that his work leans towards 'arte povera', but 'poetic minimalism' is a better term.

Merab Surviladze was born in 1965 in Tbilissi (Georgia).

If we look back to Merab's original way of working, his painting has undergone profound changes mentally and physically over the years.

Synchronized with time and space, Merab added a new dimension to his works in the form of handmade acrylic figurines. On the one hand, this addition enables the artist to push the technical boundaries of his art. On the other hand, he thereby creates the original version of abstract, expressive painting that is conceptually based on the metaphor of shadow and its artistic-philosophical reading.

Shadow forms, according to Merab, represent tensions, the disruption of tonalities and they give depth that would otherwise be missed. It seems that he is asking questions about the shadow phenomenon.

Merab decided to position herself in the color of the shadow. He pays no attention to the origin, the language, the skin color or even the place. In the shadows we are all free to be ourselves.

Merab succeeds in portraying an image of real drama. By synthesizing spaces, bodies and shadows he touches on existential problems - lives that exist in a state of unknown regularity. Merab wants to show a space that is real, but needs a special way to make it clear.

Arne Quinze was born in 1971 in Ghent. He is a contemporary conceptual artist, painter and sculptor. His work is comprehensive: from small drawings and paintings to medium-sized sculptures to massive installations. During his early career (the 1980s) he was a graffiti artist. He always questioned the role of our cities, which led him to explore the possibilities of turning the cities into open-air museums. His work quickly evolved from Street Art to Public Art with recurring themes such as social interaction, urbanization and diversity. He became known as an artist in 2006 by placing Uchronia, a wooden structure 30 m high and 60 m wide at the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert, USA.

The internationally acclaimed Arne Quinze has become synonymous with monumental installations all over the world, but his oeuvre also includes paintings, smaller sculptures and light installations. He is co-founder and director of the Quinze & Milan office that commercializes furniture and develops architectural projects. His installations are built to provoke reactions and intervene in the daily lives of passers-by who are confronted with his sculptures.

Jean Boghossian was born in 1949 in Aleppo (Syria). He is a multidisciplinary and abstract artist whose later works, in varying proportions, all show traces of combustion. Despite an invasive and rather violent medium (fire) and deliberate damage, Boghossian is constantly looking for harmony. Aware that the chaotic movement of flames and smoke can never be completely tamed, the artist deliberately joins in their wild dance until he decides to stop the process when he feels the right balance has been struck. The young Boghossian comes from a family of jewelers and worked for the company while simultaneously studying economics and sociology at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut. The Lebanese civil war in 1975 forced Boghossian to leave the country and settle in Belgium. More than 30 years ago, Boghossian decided to enroll at the Bosvoorde Art Academy in Brussels. In 1992 he founded the Boghossian Foundation together with his brother and his father. His art, which has been moving towards abstraction for more than a decade, evokes a contemporary Zero movement and Fluxus, although Boghossian does not belong to any known movement or school. Boghossian treated media such as canvas, paper, books and plastic with fire, sometimes creating perforation patterns. In addition to the flame, Boghossian uses different mediums such as watercolor, charcoal, oil, pigments and acrylic paint and different techniques such as folding, tearing, collage. Boghossian makes his sculptures from wood, polystyrene, clay, marble or bronze, some of which he in turn energizes with fire.

Jean Boghossian has participated in recent exhibitions : Avenue Louise, Brussels (2021), Wilford X (2020), BRAFA, Boon Gallery (2020), Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Arts, Korea (2019- 2020), Museum und Park Kalkriese Germany (2019-2020), United Nations Office, Geneva (2019), Galerie Tanit, Munich (2019), Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels (2018), Galerie Pièce Unique, Paris (2018), German Bundestag, Berlin (2018), Cardi Gallery, London (2018), Museum Ground, Republic of Korea (2018), L’Orient Le Jour building, Beirut (2018), the National Gallery of Armenia, Yerevan (2018), Frieze New York, Cardi Gallery (2018), Art Monte-Carlo, Cardi Gallery (2018), Ayyam Gallery, Dubai (2018), Armenian Center of Contemporary Experimental Art, Yerevan (2017, 2007), 57th Venice Biennale (2017), Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels (2017), Beirut Exhibition Center, Beirut (2015, 2011), Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collection Burri, Città di Castello, Italy (2015), Museo Archeologico di Atina e della Valle di Comino, Atina (2015), Villa Empain, Brussels (2014), Art Abu Dhabi, Saleh Barakat Gallery (2013), Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, Republic of Korea (2012)

Dae Mee Van der Haegen is passionate about the beauty of flowers. As a Belgian artist of Korean descent, she wanted to freeze the flowers and thereby make them eternal. Starting from existing flowers that will eventually determine the original shape of her work, Dae Mee changes the flowers by shaping and coloring them according to her own wishes. For this she uses a unique process she developed and refers to Egyptian mummies.

This results in 'a renaissance of the flower'…

In collaboration with Arne Quinze and the Floralies, Coutre has the honor of temporarily exhibiting one of Quinze's Lupine sculptures at the Kouter. The large work can be viewed from 22/4, there will also be several sculptures of other sizes on display in the Coutre gallery.