BERLINDE

DE BRUYCKERE:
WE ARE ALL FLESH
ACCA EDUCATION
 BIOGRAPHY
Berlinde De Bruyckere was born in De Bruyckere’s residence and studio are
1964 in Ghent, Belgium. In a ca- reer located in the De Muide district of Ghent,
spanning 26 years thus far, De Bruyckere in a converted catholic boys school which
reached international ac- claim at the she shares with her hus- band, sculptor
2003 Venice Biennale, when her Peter Buggenhout and two sons.
sculptures were shown in the Italia Fittingly, this district is in proximity to
Pavillion. She was the sub- ject of a the Saint Bavo Cathedral where Van
major exhibition: ‘Mysterium Leib: Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece resides. De
Berlinde De Bruyckere in Dia- logue Bruyckere’s artistic prac- tice has been
with Cranach and Pasolini’ at the profoundly infuenced by the aesthetics
Moritzburg Foundation in Halle, and subject matter of the Flemish
Germany (2011). Other recent solo Renaissance and other Old Masters.
shows include Espace Claude Berri,
Paris (2008), Galleria Continua, San Known for beautiful, unsettling figu-
Gimignano (2007), Museum Moderner rative sculptures that are life-like yet
Kunst Karten, Klagenfurt (2007), and contorted and fragmented, De Bruyckere
Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Ghent uses uncannily realistic materials such as
Photo: Scott McNaughton (2007). Her numerous group shows wax, wood, iron, wool, hair and the hides
Published in The Age, 2012
include the 8th Gwangju Biennale Ko- of horses. The central themes in her work
rea (2010), The 3rd Moscow Biennale of are those that have always confronted
Contemporary Art (2009), ‘Artempo humanity: suffering, loneliness, birth and
– Where Time becomes Art,’ Palazzo death and remembrance.
Fortuny, Venice (2007) and the 4th
Berlin Biennial for Contemporary Art
(2007). She has had several exhibi- tions
at her gallery Hauser & Wirth in Zurich,
London and New York.
PRACTICE
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s sculp- Both Pagan and Ecclesiastical in "religion also becomes so impor- tant Like Pasolini, De Bruyckere deals with
tures speak of birth, renewal, courage and character, as well as deeply psycho- and the question of how you deal with the dark side of humanity: with the
empathy in the face of cruelty and loss. logical, there is universality in her human life, the mystery of life. [His ilm] ability of humans to kill or infict pain,
They bring forth the dual- ity of the headless, sexless figures. 'Teorema' is all about seducing and how and yet at the same time to en- dure
human condition, depicting the dark and you can be de- stroyed by desire. Those immeasurable suffering. Chris- tianity
the light sides of our na- ture and “I no longer think the presence of the two topics are so human and it’s also is founded upon a positivistic
confronting great existential themes such head is necessary," she says "The igure mystical how Pasolini deals with it. It's philosophy of suffering, accepting it as
as death being the only certainty, with a as a whole can express a mental state on a very sophisticated level. It's at the an essential part of human life. A
contemporary view- point. making the pres- ence or absence of a same level like the workings with founding member of the Confessing
head irrel- evant." religions. We don't understand it but we Church, the German Lutheran pastor
As a Belgian artist, the traditions of need something higher to deal with life. Dietrich Bonhoeffer explained, "'Pas-
Flemish art are an inescapable part of her Using mythological transformation and We are longing for norms and truths. sio passiva', suffering because we
visual culture. The German Re- naissance demise to portray the duality of human We need to try to arrive somewhere. have to suffer. but we also boast in
painter Lucas Cranach the Elder, who nature, De Bruyckere’s sculp- tures often Even in mo- ments when you are our suffering (tribulation) know- ing
used the physical body to represent the depict a body in an Ovid- ian-style dealing with bad thoughts, there is that suffering produces pa- tience,
mental condition, par- ticularly infuences metamorphosis. The human body morphs always that higher motif that you have and patience produces ex- perience,
De Bruyckere. She has described how, with animal and veg- etal, contorting to focus on, to continue. In this way my and experience produces hope and
when she looks at his paintings she bodies with twig like limbs or bloodied work is also dealing with everyday life. hope does not disappoint us."
experience “their physicality as the fesh coloured ant- lers. The artist explains [The branches are a similar para- dox]
medium to express the thoughts and these works as “Something growing out that metamorphosis is from Ovid. The However De Bruyckere's figures are not
concerns of those igures; their fears, of you without control; you can't stop it. human body transformed into a tree, intended as revelations about God. While
their passions, their doubts. it is all to do In a way it's covering the face but de- and this one now is also from Ovid recalling the exquisite suffering of the
with man’s mental state which is evoked stroying the whole head." where Diana transforms Actaeon into a Catholic saints and martyrs, they
by the visible body." deer. The movies of Pasolini were the represent the human condition and the
De Bruyckere is also highly infuenced by biggest inspira- tion for this body of universality of suf- fering in the present,
By looking to the stories and art of the the Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pa- work, and it's the same thing." with reference to plight of refugees and
past, she addresses the anxieties of solini, explaining that in his films victims of war and trauma.
humanity, of death and transience that
remain pertinent today.
PRACTICE

The materiality of De Bruyckere’s sculptures ac- De Bruyckere has emphasised that she is not mo- tivated
centuate the transitory nature of life. From a dis- tance by a political agenda but by a fundamental interest in
her figures look like marble, which has the connotations humanity. As she investigates the duality of the human
of wealth and enshrined permanency. Yet in choosing condition, her work provides dispa- rate insights:
wax she re-enlivens the form. The colouration suggests
veins and arteries, while the fragility and possible "On one hand, I shoot disconcerting questions at the
disintegration of the material refects the eventual spectator, to which I do not give any re- assuring
corrosion of organisms and impermanence of life. De answers; on the other hand, the pres- ence of human
Bruyckere’s works con- jure the austere museum characteristics in my igures is familiar, and therefore
environment, with marble like sculptures, formal comforting."
displays and old-fashioned drawings of viscera on
intentionally aged paper. Exhibited in such a genteel The artist wants people to see hope and find com- fort
manner softens the re- sponse of the viewer, making it in her work.
easier to accept the disquieting figures.
"Life is beautiful even if we have to deal with fear and
De Bruyckere’s works conjure the containment and pain," she says "It makes it easier if we take care of
order of a museum environment, with marble like each other and if we have a lan- guage with each
sculptures, formal displays and old-fashioned drawings other to communicate about pain, suffering and fear."
on intentionally aged paper. Exhibited in such a genteel
manner softens the response of the viewer, making it
easier to accept the disquieting figures. The vitrines,
tables and bell jars are used as containers that articulate
our desire for preser- vation and conservation, for fixing
things at a par- ticular point in time, for trying to create
some sense of order in the world. The delicate papers,
patina of woods and metals, emphasises the continuum
of life and depth of time.
Ovid Ovid (43 BC – AD 17/18) was a Ro- man Cranach Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472- Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922 – 1975)
poet who is best known as the author of the epic poem 1553) was a German Renaissance painter known for his was an Italian film director, poet, writer and intellectual.
Metamorphoses. Completed in AD 8, portraits of German princes and lead- ers of the He demonstrated a unique and ex- traordinary cultural
Metamorphoses consists of a 15-book catalogue re- Protestant Reformation, as well scenes versatility, becoming a highly
telling almost 250 events in Greek and Roman from the bible and mythology. A close friend of Martin controversial figure in the process. As a director,
mythology. In each myth, mortals are often vulnera- ble Luther, Cranach tried to find new ways of conveying Pasolini created a picaresque neorealism, showing a sad
to external infuences and Ovid suggests trans- formation Lutheran religious concerns in his art. He was a master reality. Many people did not want to see such portrayals
as a universal principle, which explains the nature of the of printing and engraving, was elected the mayor of in artistic work for public distribution. Pasolini referred
world: Troy falls, Rome rises. Nothing is permanent. Wittenberg, and managed an apothecary shop as well as to himself as a ‘Catholic Marxist’ and often used
Considered a masterpiece, Metamorphoses was one of a press that produced Bibles and tracts written by shocking juxtapositions of imagery to expose the
the most popular clas- sical works during the Middle Luther. He continued throughout his career to paint vapidity of values in modern society. His friend, the
Ages and has infu- enced much art and literature in nude subjects drawn from Classical mythology and writer Alberto Moravia, considered him “the major
Western Culture. Christian religion. Italian poet” of the second half of
the 20th century.
CURATORIAL RATIONALE
This is the first major exhibition of ACCA’s artistic director Juliana Engberg ex- "I want a confrontation with the space. I'm in-
Berlinde De Bruyckere’s in Australia, and as such plained that terested in the dialogue. The space is the start- ing
ACCA wanted to use the opportunity to commis- sion point for my work. This feeds me. It's not just my own
major new works and also present a breadth of practice "When I invited Berlinde to [the gallery] for her language that I'm going to show, but I want to create
to audiences new to her work. site visit I imagined she might ind the space, something new out of this dialogue."
which is vast and inspiringly scaled, somewhat
like a cathedral. This was ex- actly her reaction. BERLINDE DE BRUYCKERE
We decided then that the commission would use ARTIST
ACCA’s long room as a kind of approach to an
alter and that the side galleries would become
akin to chapels where one might have a more
intimate scale to contemplate."

JULIANA ENGBERG
ACCA’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
WE ARE
ALL
FLESH
GALLERY 1
We are all Flesh, 2012
treated horse skin, epoxy, iron armature 280 x De Bruyckere worked for two years on a new "I only use animals in a human way. I started
160 x 100 cm commission for ACCA, made site specifically for the to work on horses in 1999, when the Flanders
Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Galleria main gallery. Located in the centre of the space is a cast Fields Museum in Ypres asked me to reflect on
Continua iron column seven metres high with a life size sculpture war today. I was working more than one year
of two conjoined horse forms hoist- ed from it. Another in their archives and did a lot of research on
We are all Flesh, 2010-2012 horse form is hanging from a metal armature on the wall this matter. The most important images for me
treated horse skin, epoxy, iron armature 740 x to the right. The space is sparse, dramatic, confronting. were the abandoned city and the dead bodies of
175 x 150 cm The viewer’s at- tention is focused on the dead weight the horses. These images were staying with me.
Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Galleria of the hors- es, life expelled. I took the motif
Continua of the dead horse as a symbol for loss in war,
The horses retain their bodily mass and their hide, wherever it happens. Because if
which has been allowed to keep its wounds and faws we address war, it's about losing people. I
visible. The evident holes in the hide are important, as wanted to translate that feeling so I started to
they reveal there is nothing but emp- tiness within these work on six portraits of dead horses. Some
bodies: these are representa- tions of an actual and years afterwards when people were asking
particular horse. Considered this way, the horse forms about other animals in my work, I said 'no'. I
become awesome, majestic, yet paradoxically frail and need the horse because of its beauty and its
wounded like the crucified figure of Christ figure or importance to us. It has a mind, a character
suffering of saints. Throughout the ages horses have and a soul. It is closest to us human beings. I
symbol- ised power, glory, strength and freedom, the couldn't imagine another animal being so
important."
noble beast long ago domesticated by humans has
served in many campaigns for civilisation, as for pillage
Berlinde De Bruyckere, 2011
and war. In De Bruyckere’s work they sym- bolise our
fears of powerlessness and desolation, while perhaps too
encouraging us to have cour- age and strength in the
face of such deep seated emotional drivers.
"That's what makes a good sculpture, I
think: the fact it doesn’t rely on a meaning
or subject matter, but that it is so broad that
you can take it in any number of different
directions, and
lose your way in it."

Berlinde De Bruyckere
GALLERY 2

Inside me III, 2012 Created especially for ACCA, Inside Me III is a

wax, wool, cotton, wood, epoxy, iron armature 135 x tangle of fesh-coloured wax branches reminiscent of
235 x 115 cm intestines, tree roots and human limbs, splayed across
Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Galleria worn white pillows and slung between a frame based
Continua on a drying rack for herbs. This is a body turned
inside out shown as a bag of bones and fesh. It's a
Romeu “my deer”, 2012 pencil, body reduced to its most basic form. In this state the
watercolour, collage viewer is encouraged to think about what makes us
37.5 x 28 cm human. Yes we are all fesh
Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth and Galleria – but we are more than the physical, aren’t we? Inside
Continua Me alludes to an interior state of being, a tangle of
intangible emotions and feelings that are very real.
Similar to the work in Gallery 4, here hu- man limbs
become branches, as tree trunks stand in for people in
019, reminding us of a universal life cycle, and for De
Bruyckere ‘life and hope’.
'
GALLERY 3
Romeu ‘my deer’ I, 2010 To one side of the room a wax figure is crouched over a soft pil- low, "I work with Romeu, my model, and then
wax, epoxy, iron, string the body hairless, faceless and surface almost transparent. ‘The out of his head, body, you see antlers are
82.5 x 29 x 12 cm Pillow’ is another important loan in the exhibition and the only growing. Usually the deer uses it [antlers]
obviously human figurative element. The figure appears to be to seduce the female deer, where it's
Romeu ‘my deer’ III’ 2010 protecting itself, curled inwards into a pillow atop a small wooden something to be proud of. Here it's
wax, epoxy, iron, string, cushion 76 x box. The fragility and rawness of the body is softened by the use of completely the opposite: the antlers
20 x 17 cm pillows. Here the pillow supports the figure as a sort of plinth, destroy the hu- man body. In some of the
Private Collection, Washington comforting the body. drawings they are growing back inside the
body and they hurt him. It's all about
Romeu ‘my deer’ IV’ 2010 Four antler-based works are suspended by strings from the gal- lery being destroyed by desire."
wax, epoxy, iron, string 84 x wall. Unlike the clichéd hunting trophies mounted in baro- nial halls,
31 x 19 cm these antlers are pallid, delicate and raw. Antlers are a more recent Berlinde De Bruyckere
SMAK Museum, Gent motif for De Bruyckere. In Metamorphoses, Ovid retells the Greek
myth of Actaeon, who accidentally stumbled across the Goddess
Romeu ‘my deer’ V, 2012 Diana bathing. In an embarrassed fury she transforms Actaeon into a
wax, epoxy, iron, string 76 stag. He is unable to speak and fees in fear. His fellow hunters and
x 43 x 29 cm their dogs do not recognise him and he is torn to death by his own
hounds.
The Pillow, 2010
wax, epoxy, iron, wool, cotton, wood 90 The male deer’s antlers serve to seduce the female but also to test
x 70 x 60 cm their strength with other males and defend themselves against
Private Collection, Brussels predators. In this sense they are also capable of de- struction. The
antler grows out of the body without control, and in some of De
Bruyckere’s drawings they grow back inside it, suggesting that
sometimes our strongest weapons can, de- spite their benefits, also be
a threat to our own lives. Not only referencing mythology, the stag is
also a traditional symbol of Christ. De Bruyckere has frequently used
the Man of Sorrows motif, which throughout history has shown
Christ, usually on the cross with the wounds of the passion, Here its
interpreta- tion enhances our sympathy for the hunted animal as well.
GALLERY 4
019, 2007 (detail)
wax, epoxy, metal, glass, wood, blankets
293.5 x 517 x 77.5 cm
Private Collection, Paris

"Behind the distorted, antique glass, you see For Jung, the forest is understood as a symbol for life into a temple with marble pillars and a roof of gold.
sculptures in the shape of trees or branches. and the finding of one's path through the woods is a Zeus also granted them one wish. Baucis and Phi-
The trees are nearly the colour of human skin, metaphor for coming into self knowledge, and possibly lemon’s wish was to serve as his priests, living and
so you end up with some- thing fragile. a reason it features so prominently in fairy tales. This guarding his temple until the end. The only other thing
Because the antique glass distorts your view, a symbolic growth and transformation is suggested in the they asked of Zeus was that they should nev- er live
couple of doors are left open, inviting you to feshy colouration of the wood, which alludes to the alone, but would even die together. Upon their death,
look inside. I don't want people to see the figure, and the journey through life that must involve they were changed into an intertwining pair of trees, one
sculptures as trees, but as strange, vulnerable growth and transformation. oak and one linden.
beings. The vi- trines have a shelf at the bottom
on which I placed three piles of blankets. It In Metamorphoses, Ovid tells the myth of gods Zeus De Bruyckere explains,
looks as if they are shielding and nurturing the and Hermes, who disguised themselves as peasants and
visited a town in Phyrgia. They want- ed to see how “For me it’s important when I started using the trees,
roots of the trees. I also refer to those blankets they brought the part of life into the work. It was the
hospitable the townsfolk were, and knocked on the
as a "soothing circumstance" because they can moment when I started to pay more attention to the
doors of every house asking for a place to sleep that
sometimes lead us to a less harsh reality." night. They were turned away by all, except an old colour in the work, because it gave them more life. But
married couple, Baucis and Phi- lemon. Though they the tree brought the element of hope into my work. I
Berlinde De Bruyckere were poor they happily invited them to stay. Baucis and was very happy when I found the myth of Ovidius
Philemon gathered what food they had and created a where the hu- man transformed into a tree. When the
feast for their guests. At dinner they explained that body is dead and a tree is growing out of it, it becomes
though they were poor, they were rich with love and a symbol of life and hope."
companionship. This impressed Zeus and Hermes, who
revealed themselves and declared that they would pun-
ish the townsfolk but save Baucis and Philemon. They
were ordered to climb a mountain and when they
reached the top, they looked down. The town had been
destroyed by a food. However, Zeus and Hermes had
saved their home, transforming it
CURRICULUM LINKS
VCE Art VCE Studio Arts VELS level 6
Investigate De Bruyckere’s work using the Ana- Arts Industry Contexts The Arts – Exploring and responding
lytical Frameworks.
Discuss the role of the art gallery or art space, the Analyse, interpret, compare and evaluate the sty- listic,
Formal Framework
intention of the curator or artist and the presenta- tion technical, expressive and aesthetic features of arts works
What materials and techniques has De Bruyckere used?
of the artworks in the We are all Flesh exhibi- tion. created by Berlinde De Bruyckere and how they relate
How do the materials used or the technical skills shape
Consider: the exhibition design; promotional methods; to present times and cultural contexts.
or affect interpretation? Is this due to inherent qualities
preparation; presentation; and methods and
of the materials or to their appli- cation by the artist?
considerations involved in the conservation and
preservation of artworks in We are all Flesh.
Personal Framework
What relationship does the artwork have to the art- ist’s
life and experiences? What visual evidence supports this
reading? Has the artist used a spe- cific process or
practice in creating the artwork that may refect their
personal philosophy and ideas?

Cultural Framework
How do the social, political, cultural or religious con-
texts of the artwork contribute to its meaning? How
have historical or contemporary events shaped the
intention of the artist or our understanding of the Further Reading
artwork’s meaning?
SCHMERZENSMANN – Berlinde De Bruyckere by Ali Subotnick. Published by Steidl 2008
Contemporary Framework http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/31241/berlinde-de-bruyckere/
How does the choice or presentation of subject matter http://www.kunstmuseumbern.ch/admin/data/hosts/kmb/iles/page_editorial_paragraph_ile/
or medium, materials and techniques refect or challenge ile/12/111019_/nterview_De_Bruyckere.pdf?lm=1320741656
artistic or social traditions? http://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/interview-with-berlinde-de-bruyckere/2239
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