Kris Martin in subtle dialogue with Jan van Eyck
‘EXIT’ is the first Belgian retrospective dedicated to the work of Kris Martin (b. 1972, Kortrijk, Belgium). After having shown his work internationally for twenty years, the Belgian public is finally being given the opportunity to get to know his eloquent oeuvre in more detail. From existing objects Kris Martin creates images that raise questions about concepts such as transience, identity and death. These are themes that have traversed art history for centuries. The artist also weaves art history, literature and myths into his work. Moreover, he plays on mechanisms such as recognition and alienation in order to make us think about the bigger questions.
In S.M.A.K., Martin plays subtly with the work of Jan van Eyck. In ‘Eve and Adam’ (2017), for example, he makes us look at the representation of our ancestors in ‘The Ghent Altarpiece’ (1432) in a completely different way. Meanwhile, the Ghent altarpiece is back in St Bavo’s Cathedral, where the work of three contemporary artists – Kris Martin, Lies Caeyers and Sophie Kuijken – who were inspired by its form, technique and content will also be shown. The work ‘Altar’ (2014) by Kris Martin is installed outside and can be seen next to the portal of the cathedral.
Kris Martin will give an artist talk on Sunday 8 March 2020.
