Berlinde De Bruyckere
Plunder | Ekphrasis

SOLO SHOW AT MO.CO. Montpellier Contemporain, 2022

Co-curators: Numa Hambursin, Vincent Honoré, Anna Kerekes, Rahmouna Boutayeb

The solo exhibition of Berlinde De Bruyckere at MO.CO. is the most ambitious presentation of her work in France this far. On the occasion, MO.CO. inaugurates a new chapter of its history, with a programme that, from now on, incorporates vast monographic exhibitions. 

The one dedicated to Berlinde De Bruyckere, conceived in a tight-knit collaboration with the artist, puts together some fifty works made by her between 1999 and 2022. Exploring her preferred media (sculpture, installation, drawing, watercolour, and collage), she takes over all the spaces of Hôtel Montcalm. The selection includes six new works created specifically for this project in Montpellier.

Although the exhibition at MO.CO. will have as crucial elements some well-known themes of Berlinde De Bruyckere’s production like the martyr, redemption, and metamorphosis it will equally plunge on less often highlighted aspects of her work, such as eroticism or the relations and hybridizations between humans, plants, and animals, in addition to notions around work and exploitation.

Berlinde De Bruyckere’s exhibition is accompanied by the publication of a richly illustrated catalogue for the occasion, in both French and English by Bernard Chauveau Edition, with graphic design entrusted to the design studio Atelier Tout va bien. It also comprises unpublished contributions of the South African writer Antjie Krog and Numa Hambursin, as well as an interview with the artist made by Vincent Honoré, Anna Kerekes and Rahmouna Boutayeb.

Installation views: Mirjam Devriendt