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.
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
2024
2023
2021
2020
2017
2016
2015
2013
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
2023
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
2021
februari - maart | Dagelijks Werk - CC Mechelen, parallel met expo Sergio de Beukelaer
december | Open Arte Expo Exit - Artenova broedplaats voor kunstenaars en creatieven
2020
december | Prohibition Exhibition Kunstroute Mechelen2019
maart | Solo Expo ‘Pointless Arrows’ - Haptic House Deurne
mei | Groupshow M-Museum Leuven - link2018
augustus | Between (Stage) Groupshow - Jette
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
2017
februari | Affordable Art Fair Brussel - als genodigd zeefdruk kunstenaar ifv. workshops.
2016
februari | BAD Gent - Belgian Art & Design (eerste editie) - link
april - mei | De Invasie Antwerpen (laatste editie)
2015
september | Expo Mr Smith. Hulst (eerste overzicht expo Printproject 15)
2013
februari | Expo n.a.v. lancering van zeefdrukatelier Unspill Mechelen
oktober | Witte Rook eerste lichting Mechelen
december | Witte Rook tweede lichting Mechelen - link