Kendell Geers, Flesh of the Spirit 50 & 51, 2011
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exhibition
Kendell Geers defines himself as an AniMystikAKtivist, rooting his practice in African animism, while being influenced by European mysticism, and adopting a militant approach to contemporary social, political and ecological urgencies. He believes that art can transform the world, one perception at a time. His sculptures, titled Flesh of the Spirit, embody the meeting of matter and spirit, at the crossroads of perception and experience. At first glance, these works seem African, but upon closer inspection, one discovers the traces of his fingerprints, the shape of his palm, and the lines of his fingers, as they begin as liquid plaster escaping from his hands. As the plaster hardens, he shapes it, like a seer summoning spirits. Once dry, he cuts, glues, sculpts, and remolds the material, thus creating works that connect Europe and Africa.
Born in a family of Flemish sailors settled in South Africa over three centuries ago, Geers embodies both African and European identities. The contradictions of his identity fuel the chimerical eclecticism of his practice, questioning our preconceived ideas about language, race, culture, and art history. His work is translated into a unique artistic language, difficult to categorize, where what is seen can never be reduced to a simple interpretation. It mixes abstraction and exploration of what it means to be human.
Currently based in Brussels, Geers is recognized as a pioneering figure of contemporary African art. He gained international fame early in his career, notably by participating in the Johannesburg Biennale in 1997 and Documenta 11 in 2002, under the direction of Okwui Enwezor. In 2013, Enwezor also organized his second retrospective at the Haus der Kunst in Munich. Geers has participated in numerous biennials around the world, including those in Venice, Havana, São Paulo, Moscow, Taipei, and Istanbul, as well as Documenta, Manifesta and the Carnegie International. His intertextual approach has also been reflected in curatorial and historical projects. In 2019, he curated the exhibition IncarNations for Bozar, linking the work of contemporary African artists with African traditions.
His latest book, "Duchamp's Endgame: da Vinci, Dürer, Ingres, Poussin", published by Mercator Fund and distributed by Yale University Press, is a passionate exploration of the fundamental mysteries of Duchamp's work, an iconic figure of Dada and Surrealism. For the first time since the summer of 1912, Geers sheds light on Duchamp's intentions in Munich and the reasons that led him to stop painting in 1919. This mystery, hidden in plain sight for more than a century, finds its key in every artwork he produced, allowing the understanding of another work.
Good to know
With the support of Banque de Luxembourg.
Automatically translated from French.
Where does it take place?
Luxembourg Art Week
Glacis square (Fouerplaatz)
Ville-Haute Luxembourg
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