Guy Mees at Bureau des Réalités

Artist: Guy Mees

Exhibition title: Archives

Curated by: Lilou Vidal

Venue: Bureau des Réalités, Brussels, Belgium

Date: September – November 12, 2016

Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Bureau des Réalités

Bureau des Réalités is pleased to present Archives, a project dedicated to Guy Mees (1935-2003) featuring works, documents, photographs and videos dating back to the early 60’s.

The exhibition constitutes an attempt to trace the path and follow the gaze of an artist who gave the name Lost Space (Verloren Ruimte) to his two largest ensembles; the lace works realized between 1960 and 1966 and the reliefs cut out of colored paper and pinned to the wall, which he began in 1983.

The archives present in the exhibition shed light on the program and poetics of Guy Mees’ unique oeuvre and allow us to better grasp the unfolding of his work: From the first black charcoal canvas in which he started blurring the borders between painting and sculpture to his structuralist work and his specific conceptual approach parodying all hierarchical systems, though to declarations and actions relating to nature and environment.

We can also consider this project an opportunity to navigate the prolific Belgian art scene of the 1960’s and 70’s.

Archives was conceived in conjunction with the solo exhibition Guy Mees at Galerie Micheline Szwajcer in Brussels, curated by Lilou Vidal.

Thanks to: Thanks to: Lotte Boogh, Jason Poirier dit Caulier, Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen, Stephan Peleman, Dirk Snauwaert

Guy Mees, map, object from the declaration: An Ice Floe declared undefiled on 66,5° Southern Latitude and 5° Eastern longitude in the Haakon 7 sea Antartica area, during 120 hours, 1^st November 1969. Archive from Marc Poirier dit Caulier, X-One gallery, Antwerp

Guy Mees, 1x900x80mm polished aluminium, 2x900x40mm polished aluminium, 1968-1970

Guy Mees & Wim Meuwissen, Object from the action Water te Water, 1970 Plexiglas and pure water

Guy Mees, Verloren Ruimte, 1988
Dark blue paper, 195 x 60 cm

Niveauverschillen archive object, 1970, concrete, archive from Lotte Boogh – Mees

Guy Mees, Portretten, 1971
Film, 16 mm film, b/w, sound, 00:03:00, Collection M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art / Collection Flemish Community

Guy Mees with Wim Meuwissen, Water te water, Zelzate, 1970
16 mm film, color, silent, 0:03:13, Collection M HKA, Museum of Contemporary Art /Collection Flemish Community

Vitrine with archives documents, photographs, notes, invitation cards, objects, papers Archives from Lotte Boogh – Mees, Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Marc Poirier dit Caulier, X-One gallery Antwerp, Fernand Spillemaeckers, Gallery MTL, Brussels.