Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert: As You Think So Shall You Become

Curated by Karen Verschooren, STUK

A series of interventions and gatherings in public space, workshops, talks and masterclasses by Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert. Programme updates here.    

“Whatever one frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind.” –Buddha, the Dvedhavitakka Sutta

“Become what you think” —Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts

Between February and June 2022, artist duo Frank&Robbert Robbert&Frank land in the public space in Leuven with a combination of projects. They invite us to discover their world of visual language, DIY rituals and omens, turning Leuven into a Frank&Robbert Robbert&Frank snowglobe for a re-enchanting experience. Meaningful encounters between an individual and a sentence or image, between two individuals or many in a collective experience, are at the core of the practice of Frank&Robbert Robbert&Frank. Their work channels an attitude of hope, resilience, and being awake in the world.

On the programme

February 12, 2022 Festive inauguration of the public sculpture Go Away Sorrow of the World
A banner is mounted on a large lighting pole that reads “Go away sorrow of the world,” a mantra which Frank&Robbert Robbert&Frank developed in 2008. The mantra works as a shadow whose concept always remains the same but whose physical carrier changes from time to time. It has been incorporated in a ritual, built into a wooden suitcase, made into a pin and carved into a brick. This installation, by far the largest crystallization of the work, projects a message of hope throughout the inner city of Leuven.

March 22, 2022: Masterclass
As part of the exhibition project As You Think So Shall You Become, Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert give a masterclass aimed at an audience of artists with a practice in visual arts, performance, and installation art. Starting point is their new work DIYShrines; a flat-pack version of a small sanctuary meant to be distributed widely for personal use. What is the sense or nonsense of contemporary rituals? What role can artists play in this, what impact can they have? How to navigate the balance between guiding through design and leaving space in participatory art practices? A search for answers through conversation and hands-on work.

March 22, 2022: Artist talk 
In their artist talk, open to the general public, Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert will elaborate on their practice in general, and the exhibition project As You Think So Shall You Become in particular. 

April 1 and 25, 2022: Workshops DIYShrines
In a succession of workshops, Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert explore the potential of their DIYShrines. With DIYShrines, they created a flat-pack version of a small sanctuary meant to be distributed among the people of Leuven during the public events and through workshops. In this workshop, you are invited to create your own personal ritual around the “shrine” and give it a meaningful place in your life. Robbert & Frank will help you on your way. 

Check STUK’s website for more info about the programme in May and the final gathering on June 18, 2022!

About Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert
Since 2012, Frank and Robbert go through life as the artist duo Robbert&Frank Frank&Robbert. This intense collaboration forms the basis for their artistic practice and symbolizes their vision on friendship, collectivity, interplay and knowledge sharing. Together, they realise a multidisciplinary body of works, containing objects, prints, installations, videos, actions in public places and cross-over performances on the border between arts and theatre. With their works, they actively relate to the global society and formulate questions and poetical alternatives. Their work has been presented in solo exhibitions in a.o. Fred&Ferry Gallery (Antwerp), Croxhapox (Ghent), Netwerk (Aalst), Lage Egal Gallery (Berlin), Buda (Kortrijk) and Be-Part (Waregem), and in group shows in a.o. Baro Gallery (Sao Paulo), Charlama Contemporary Art Gallery (Sarajevo), Panthera Art Space (Brussels), Belvédère (Rotterdam), KW Institute for Contemporary Art (Berlin), Dr. Guislain Museum (Ghent) and BOZAR (Brussels).

They graduated with a master’s degree in visual arts from KASK Ghent in 2012. Since January 2021, they are represented by Fred&Ferry Gallery (Antwerp).

Please contact Caroline Henderickx at caroline.henderickx [​at​] stuk.be for press inquiries or Karen Verschooren at karen.verschooren [​at​] stuk.be for further inquiries regarding the exhibition.

In collaboration with and with gratitude to the City of Leuven, Leuven Green Services, UCLL, Cas-co, SLAC, Maakleerplek, Let’s Talk Leuven & Fred&Ferry Gallery