Fabric of Life
March 27–November 3, 2024
What is going on in the many municipalities along the North Sea coastline? What’s on people’s minds? Which legends, histories, and stories enshroud particular sites? Which artistic movements have flourished and continue to resonate in the realm of contemporary arts? And who, from the past or the present, whether or not people, flora, or fauna, still leave their indelible imprint?
Eighteen artists exhibit unique work in the nine participating coastal municipalities in Belgium. Curator Els Wuyts selected the artists, who display their visual work in unique spaces. “The place is the heart of the 2024 edition,” says curator Els Wuyts. “That’s why the theme, Fabric of Life, is an invitation to explore various perspectives and familiar expressions, and to unravel the intricate web of relationships, threads, loops, braids, cables, swarms, and scales. Just as in a seashell, feather, or leaf, there are traces of lines and life to discover, much like a keepsake or a beautiful thought. Similar to a grand monument or an intimate artwork, you’ll encounter more than one storyline, with versatile memories and undiscovered values rising to the surface.
The eighth edition of Beaufort builds on familiar elements: national and international visual artists creating unique sculptures, accessible and open 24/7. Together, the artworks form an exhibition in public spaces along the entire 65-kilometre coastline. The artistic creations integrate into the surroundings, adding another dimension to the spaces they inhabit. Through the curator’s selection of artists, in consultation with the participating coastal municipalities, that align with the DNA of those locations, Beaufort24 promises to be an edition that brings art and the coast together in even more interesting ways.
DNA of coastal municipalities is key
Curator Els Wuyts: “The new installations will consciously, meaningfully, and humbly influence existing points of view and thought processes, and in their imaginings, they will be accessible, tangible, or even obstinate. Whether at a crossroads, a rolling dune, a quiet area or a simple roundabout, by a lighthouse or the waterfront, or amidst the foamy tides and shallow puddles along the beach, within the furrows of the rich farmland, or near the joints of those distinctive dike tiles along the Belgian coast.”
The selection of artists includes a mix of national and international talent.
Filip Vervaet (Belgium) and Maëlle Dufour (Belgium) in De Panne
Johan Creten (Belgium/France) and Jorge Macchi (Argentina) in Koksijde-Oostduinkerke
Selva Aparicio (Spain/US) and Alexandra Bircken (Germany) in Nieuwpoort
Lucy + Jorge Orta (UK, Argentina/France) and Jef Meyer (Belgium) in Middelkerke—Westende
Femmy Otten (The Netherlands) and Marius Ritiu (Romania/Belgium) in Oostende
Sara Bjarland (Finland/The Netherlands) and Pei-Hsuan Wang (Taiwan/Belgium) in De Haan-Wenduine
Romain Weintzem (France) and Driton Selmani (Kosovo) in Blankenberge
Monika Sosnowska (Poland) and Ivan Morison (UK) in coproduction with Triënnale Brugge 2024 in Zeebrugge
Richard Deacon (UK) and Lucie Lanzini (France/Belgium) in Knokke-Heist
Curator Beaufort24: Els Wuyts (Belgium)
A selection of the works presented at Beaufort24 are permanent pieces that will help the Beaufort Sculpture Park continue to grow to number more than 50 pieces, including the new work.
All information: triennalebeaufort.be/en
