The work ‘Altar’ (2014) by Kris Martin will be installed outside and can be seen next to the portal of the cathedral. The work is a steel replica of the fifteenth-century painting by the Van Eyck brothers. Kris Martin only reproduced the frame and omitted the panels. Instead of letting us admire a sumptuous scene, the artist invites us to look at the surrounding world through an open structure. In this way, he directly refers to the intention of the Van Eyck brothers. They realised The Ghent Altarpiece as an expression of what was then a new artistic vision, in which the idealisation of the medieval tradition gave way to a detailed observation of nature and mankind.
Like the original, Kris Martin’s ‘Altar’ is intended for the public domain. The sculpture was conceived for Jan Hoet’s last exhibition ‘De Zee, salut d’honneur Jan Hoet’ (The Sea, salut d’honneur Jan Hoet) in Ostend. In addition to the sculpture that is permanently installed on the beach, there are five editions of this artwork that have already been shown in New York, London, Miami, Düsseldorf, Rome and Bremen. In 2020, ‘Altar’ will be on display in the centre of Ghent, at the same time as Kris Martin’s solo exhibition in S.M.A.K.
From 7 March 2020, S.M.A.K. presents the solo exhibition of Kris Martin. ‘EXIT’ establishes a subtle dialogue with the oeuvre of Jan Van Eyck. The exhibition is S.M.A.K.’s contribution to ‘OMG! Van Eyck was here’ and coincides with ‘Van Eyck. An optical revolution’ at the Museum of Fine Arts.
