Artists: Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys
Exhibition title: Dépression à Dortmund
Venue: Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp, Belgium
Date: April 2 – May 29, 2021
Photography: ©Kristien Daem, all images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Micheline Szwajcer
Twenty-two dolls were made in 2018-2019 according to the Warsprong principle. Some dolls date from the early 18th and 19th century, others from the 20th century. Some dolls are still alive. Fourteen of these dolls were equipped with electric engines that enable them to perform repetitive actions. The dolls traveled from Brussels to Venice for a major exhibition. In 2020 they were shipped to Busan, a port city in South Korea, where they were displayed in a gigantic cage. On their return to Belgium in 2021, the artists commissioned photographer Kristien Daem to photograph their puppets in a studio. For this, an industrial LED lamp, the so-called Skypanel S60-C with a power of 6000 watts, was used and a technical camera with a digital back of Japanese-Danish make. The prints are realized by a specialized company in Kontich. They have recently started working according to the UV inkjet-printing principle. For this they purchased a VUTEK QS 3220 in America.
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, The Fool (Mondo Cane), 2019, 220 x 124 x 116 cm / 86.61 x 48.82 x 45.67 in, mixed media. 3D printed heads coated in plaster, metal, fabric, clothes
Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys, Dépression à Dortmund, 2021, exhibition view, Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys, Dépression à Dortmund, 2021, exhibition view, Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys, Dépression à Dortmund, 2021, exhibition view, Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Maquette van de Italian Composition voor de Sportcampus van de KUL, 2021, 55,5 x 30 x 15 cm, Metal, paint
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, De Belder Guido, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, De Lantaarn, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, The Rat Woman, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Ernst Wollemenger, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Ilse Koch, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Irmgard Speck, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Jacobina Bienebol, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Kristinus Oplinus, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Lathgreta Toft, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Madame Legrand, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Reverent Simons, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Rocco Swenty Di Malaga, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, Sateri, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, The Fool, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, The Knife-Grinder of Wexford, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys, The Swiss, 2021, 85 x 65 cm, UV-print on 3 mm dibond (photographed by Kristien Daem)
