At the end of 2008 Michel François had received carte blanche from the S.M.A.K. to determine the exhibition programme in two galleries for more than a year.
François chose two identical exhibition rooms and named his project Faux Jumeaux (false twins). He asked 15 people to each select two works of art which, although very similar with regard to form or material, were created independently. Which similarities or differences between the two works come to light when ‘mirrored’ in the two identical galleries?
The eighth presentation in the 14 months of the "Faux Jumeaux" exhibition was put together by Hans Theys. (…) “The first work that came to mind were exhibitions by Philip Janssens and my cousin Koen Theys. Both had asked several twins to assemble in the exhibition space during an opening. Koen Theys asked them to stand close together. Philip Janssens asked the twins to separate and each stand in a different part of the exhibition room. In both cases this created confusion but they were clearly about two different kinds of confusion. In the case of Koen Theys, who had brought together eighty twins, the spectators suddenly felt disconcerted and lonely. In the case of Philip Janssens the spectators experienced an unpleasant feeling of déjà-vu, as if there were irregularities in their image of reality. Do two identical works really exist? That is the question. The works I found which most closely resemble one another are two series each comprising 80 slides of the blue sky. Both series date from 2004. The first was created by Paul Hendrikse and the second by Edith Dekyndt. However Hendrikse’s series comprises one colour filter. Can we therefore describe them as being identical? And could they share the same meaning? Although they are exercises in looking, they also show an emptiness, just like the collages by Damien De Lepeleire and Rem Koolhaas. Furthermore, we see two works based on torn off posters and created by Gerlach en koop and Herman Van Ingelgem and a tricycle for twins by Koen Deprez. All are very minimal. You see hardly anything. The only sculpture you notice is a long series of double objects by Maarten Vanden Eynde, Industrial Evolution, which I put together with a work by Gert Robijns … Next month this ensemble will be supplemented with two display cases in which Frank Maes will reveal similarities between object type in Le Corbusier and Marcel Broodthaers. A story about pipes and pyramids. I think it will be very good.” (Faux Jumeaux in S.M.A.K. in (H)Art on 04.06.2009)
Proposition 1 - Michel François Proposition 2 - Loïc Vanderstichelen Proposition 3 - Daniel McClean Proposition 4 - Yves Brochard Proposition 5 - Guillaume Désanges Proposition 6 - Laurent Jacob Proposition 7 - Raya Lindberg Proposition 9 - Frank Maes Proposition 10 - Philippe Van Cauteren Proposition 11 - Rainier Lericolais Proposition 12 - Christine Macel Proposition 13 - François Curlet Proposition 14 - Joël Benzakin Proposition 15 - Lea Gauthier Proposition 16 - Jean-Paul Jacquet
