Obed Vleugels / About

Obed Vleugels (Heverlee, Belgium, 1984) is a visual artist living and working in Belgium. A very technical approach on the construction of the canvas itself, sets the stage for a visual language rooted in both graphic design and industrial screenprinting.

Obed Vleugels is a visual artist, crafting both expansive canvases and intimate works on paper. Central to his artistic approach is a dedicated focus on mastering the technical intricacies of the craft. This is what guides his creative process, coupled with the precise application of diverse materials, particularly those associated with industrial screenprinting techniques. Intrigued by the profound themes of memory and recollection, Vleugels practice strives to encapsulate and interpret the intricate nuances of the memory. As such he is continuing to construct a personal, yet relatable, memory narrative that is purposeful and enduring.

Inevitable rules and systems, along with the unpredictabilities of technique, dictate the visual development of each artwork. Obed engages in dialogue with these, valuing every influence. It's a vulnerable stance he seeks to document in his work, revealing how susceptible we are, yet also how we can embrace the external. Ingenuity and genius are questioned, and success is attributed to a series of sometimes strategic but equally random intermediate steps in which the artist is more of a curator or coordinator than a creator. Throughout, we find traces of a strong religious affinity pulling the images towards themselves. Both hesitation and dedication take center stage here, reflecting the artistic psyche.

The studio (Mechelen, Belgium, 2013-2024) has been relocated several times, and is now housed in a repurposed Gingerbread factory.

In the studio, landscapes of polyester screenprint mesh are transformed and reorganized on a daily basis; they shift and change like sand dunes in the desert. The woven mesh, discarded by large manufacturers from home and abroad, would be salvaged and reconstructed as canvas and as a carrier for visual language. From this rich source of color and materiality, the work emerges, restoring meaning to this residual material.

Obed Vleugels / Exhibitions

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_{februari - april 2024 | Groupshow Fragmentations - AHWNN Gallery i.s.m. Coupee Collage Collective - Oostende}

_{maart - april 2024 | Expo Showcase Art - Zebrastraat i.s.m. Stichting Liedts-Meesen - Gent - (link)}

_{15 - 17 maart 2024 | LEAF Limited Edition Art Fair, Boghossian Foundation / Galerij Zwart Huis - Brussel}

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_{maart - april 2023 | Group Exhibition Worth more / Worth Less - K.L.8 Exhibition Space Brussel}

_{juni - september 2023 | ‘mijn geheugen is een zeef - uit het archief van Sint Maarten’ - AZ St.-Maarten Mechelen - (link)}

_{oktober 2023 | Eendagsexpo 5 oktober - RADAR Mechelen}

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_{februari - maart | Dagelijks Werk - CC Mechelen, parallel met expo Sergio de Beukelaer}

_{december | Open Arte Expo Exit - Artenova broedplaats voor kunstenaars en creatieven}

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_{december | Prohibition Exhibition Kunstroute Mechelen}

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_{maart | Solo Expo ‘Pointless Arrows’ - Haptic House Deurne}

_{mei | Groupshow M-Museum Leuven - link
augustus | Between (Stage) Groupshow - Jette}

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_{maart | Affordable Art Fair Brussel - als genodigd zeefdruk kunstenaar ifv. workshops.}

_{mei - juni | M HKA - Inbox: zeefdrukwerk ism. Lamart Offspace & Pieter Steyaert / SEAD) - link}

_{juli | ArtenovaS.1 - groepsexpo Artenova - Mechelen}

_{december | Expo Screens - showcase nieuwe werken n.a.v. overzicht & verkoop zeefdrukwerk 2013-2016 - Mechelen}

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_{februari | Affordable Art Fair Brussel - als genodigd zeefdruk kunstenaar ifv. workshops.}

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_{februari | BAD Gent - Belgian Art & Design (eerste editie) - link}

_{april - mei | De Invasie Antwerpen (laatste editie)}

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_{september | Expo Mr Smith. Hulst (eerste overzicht expo Printproject 15)}

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_{februari | Expo n.a.v. lancering van zeefdrukatelier Unspill Mechelen}

_{oktober | Witte Rook eerste lichting Mechelen}

_{december | Witte Rook tweede lichting Mechelen - link}