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Hans Op de Beeck

Multi-disciplinary artist Hans Op de Beeck creates interworlds. Suspended between past and future, fiction and reality, his works sound out a mirage-like contemporary universe and a sensory vertigo where the familiar rubs shoulders with the strange. From installation to sculpture, from video to animated film, from short stories to painting and drawing, from photography to sound material, the media he employs seem to converge on the definition of a topos: a mental theatre that projects the viewer into a reflexive social and cultural experience, the intimate thinking of the human condition.
—Eva Prouteau

Hans Op de Beeck is a prominent visual artist based in Belgium, known for his extensive international career spanning over two decades. Specializing in a wide range of mediums, Op de Beeck creates sculptures, installations, video art, photography, animated films, drawings, paintings, and short stories. His works explore innovative ways of presenting content through a thoughtful selection of mediums, with each piece reflecting his dedication to presenting the most effective visual narrative.

The scale of his artwork varies dramatically, from intimate watercolors to grand three-dimensional installations that can span up to 600m². This diversity in size and medium underscores the artist's commitment to using the appropriate visual language for each project.

Op de Beeck’s work is distinguished by its aesthetic versatility, ranging from minimalist designs to elaborate and exaggerated visuals, all aimed at expressing the core meaning of each piece as clearly as possible. His thematic focus centers on human relationships with time, space, and society.

The artist’s creations often depict imaginary yet familiar settings, characters, and moments, evoking a sense of tragicomic absurdity within the framework of our postmodern lives. Key themes in his art include the disappearance of distances, the disembodiment of the individual, and the abstraction of time—issues that have been shaped by globalization, technological advancements, and changes to our living environments brought about by media and automation.

Hans Op de Beeck describes his works as "proposals", acknowledging their fictional and constructed nature. He invites viewers to decide whether they experience these pieces as a reflection of an alternate reality or as visual constructs meant to provoke deeper contemplation. Op de Beeck's artistic inquiry is driven by a profound interest in social and cultural critique, particularly the complex relationship between reality and representation. His work explores how we perceive the world, questions what we see versus what we want to believe, and grapples with the tension between our true selves and the identities we create to cope with feelings of insignificance and disconnection.

His captivating and often melancholic images evoke deep reflection, leaving the viewer with a sense of wonder, contemplation, and a lasting connection to the themes of contemporary existence.

  • Biography

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  • Bibliography

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Selected artworks

  • Hans Op de Beeck, Danse Macabre, 2021

    Hans Op de Beeck Danse Macabre, 2021

    Sculptural installation, mixed media
    11 x 11 x 6.5 m (with barrier)
    36 ft 1 in x 36 ft 1 in x 21 ft 4 in (with barrier)

  • Hans Op de Beeck, The Horseman, 2020

    Hans Op de Beeck The Horseman, 2020

    Sculpture, polyester, steel, polyamide, brass, coating, bronze
    215 x 92 x 243 cm
    84 2/3 x 36 1/4 x 95 2/3 in

  • Hans Op de Beeck, The Settlement, 2016

    Hans Op de Beeck The Settlement, 2016

    Sculptural installation, mixed media
    13 x 10 x 3 m
    42 ft 8 in x 32 ft 10 in x 9 ft 10 in

  • Hans Op de Beeck, The Collector's House, 2016

    Hans Op de Beeck The Collector's House, 2016

    Sculptural installation, mixed media
    12.5 x 20 x 4 m
    41 ft x 65 ft 7 in x 13 ft 1 in

  • Hans Op de Beeck, The Quiet View, 2015

    Hans Op de Beeck The Quiet View, 2015

    Sculptural installation, mixed media
    21 x 10.2 x 6.6 m
    68 ft 10 in x 33 ft 5 in x 21 ft 8 in

  • Hans Op de Beeck, Location (5), 2004

    Hans Op de Beeck Location (5), 2004

    Sculptural installation, mixed media
    12 x 24 x 4.2 m
    39 ft 4 in x 78 ft 8 in x 13 ft 9 in

Museum exhibitions