Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Jan De Cock

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis 
@ fons welters

For his sixth solo show at the gallery De Cock has turned the space into a 'sparse and splintered romantic landscape'; a realm of autonomous sculptures that modestly seek each other's company. While building on series from the past years, De Cock's recent installation displays both his oeuvre's cyclic structure as well as introduces new sculptural forms. 

The exhibition follows Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: A Romantic exhibition, which was on display at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden in spring 2012. Again, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, icon of the sixties, is the leading character in an enigmatic narrative. Jacqueline embodies the romantic ideals of her age and symbolizes the beginning of a culture of the spectacle. Although remarkably conspicuous by her absence, we might still find her in subtle references, such as the colour pink reminding us of her famous Chanel suit. In this series of works, Jan De Cock stages Jackie as example of a specific era as well as a timeless concept. After all, her often imitated iconic presence questions the nature of an image and makes us wonder what lies behind (her beloved dark sunglasses). LINK fonswelters

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