Leen Voet

Leen Voet creates series of paintings that are combined in spatial installations. M will present several of these groups of work from the last 15 years of her practice. The impetus and starting point for each of the series is the specific interest of the artist in both cultural practices and elements found in her own environment. Her subjects, which include family, autonomy, religion or education, provoke reflection on power relations, social structures and artisthood. Each series starts from its own logic, rules, or precepts which in turn lead to new variations and decisions. Her works challenge us to consider our affective connection with the things that surround us. How does context and expectation guide our gaze? How do we look at images? What can a painting be?

Leen Voet’s paintings hover between figuration and abstraction, bringing together vibrant colours and geometric shapes in a balanced composition. Each painting stands on its own, yet takes on additional meanings through its place in the series. Throughout each series, Leen Voet explores variations and other painting styles, or plays with multiplicity, duplication and uniqueness. The spatial arrangement and the way the works relate to each other reinforce both their connection and singularity. In this exhibition, several series are brought together in a sequence of rooms, and complemented with drawings. In the tower room of M new work, based on three historical works in the M-collection, is displayed. 

Published in conjunction with this exhibition is the first monograph (Dutch/English) on the work of Leen Voet, entitled For all the Cats in the World. The book, published by Ludion and M, is extensively illustrated, with an essay by Martin Germann, Valerie Verhack and a conversation between the artist and Eva Wittocx. To celebrate the publication of the new monograph on Leen Voet’s oeuvre, Eva Wittocx and Martin Germann will talk to the artist about her work in the exhibition at M on May 25. The talk will be held in Dutch, the publication is a multilingual edition, hardcover, 272 pages.

Leen Voet lives and works in Brussels. She had solo exhibitions at Netwerk Aalst, Villa Arson, Nice (France), The Living Art Museum (Nýló), Reykjavík (Iceland), CIAP, Hasselt, Etablissement d’en Face, Brussels, FeliXart Museum, Drogenbos, trampoline, Antwerp, Kunstbunker Forum für Zeitgenössische Kunst, Nuremberg and Baronian, Brussels. She participated in many group exhibitions and her work is present in various collections. 

Curator: Eva Wittocx