Jan Verbruggen is a story teller. His oil paintings and gouaches on paper show surrealist fragments out of fictive events. Various narrative lines are transferred into absurdist scenes, populated by comic animals and mysterious figures. Human emotions and situations become a world of dreams and nightmares in which forms seem to flicker and change before our eyes. The comic-like events are literally intruded by exotic floral landscapes.
Using the classical technic of the 'grisaille' underpainting, permits him to define composition, lightning and atmosphere of his work and develop a clear vision of the overall sense of the painting. With a lush and baroque colour pallet Verbruggen's sceneries turn estranged and reveal a certain unheimlich feeling, always with a twist.
His imaginary spaces create an in-between world that is transformative and offers an insight behind the surface of the visible; an 'embodied space', where the private and outside world literally immerse.
Jan Verbruggen holds a Master in Visual Arts-Fine Arts of the LUCA School of Arts, Brussels. For several years he was chairman of 'W-O-L-K-E' an artist run initiative to create innovative spaces for artistic encounters. His works have been exhibited, among others, at BOZAR (Brussels), Bellevue Museum, Brussels, Gallery Fortlaan 17 (Ghent, B), SecondRoom (Antwerp & Brussels), Somos Art, Berlin (D), DOM (Brussels), Positions Art Fair Berlin (D), Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Antwerp (B), Art Rotterdam (NL), Art on Paper Brussels (B).
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Available works on GalleryViewer
Exhibitions at Eva Steynen.Deviation(s)
2019: Shining Ground, group exhibition
2020: Walk around the park! online group exhibition
2020: Yes, we are open! , group exhibition
2020: Positions Berlin Art Fair, group exhibition
2021: Solo show: The secret passage
2021: Art Rotterdam, group exhibition
2021: Positions Berlin, group exhibition
2022: Art Rotterdam, group exhibition
2022: Art on Paper Brussels, group exhibition
2022: Touch-Line(s) #3 group exhibition
2023: 10 Years, what a surprise! Part 1 group exhibition
Extended Curriculum Vitae
SOLO EXHIBITIONS2021 “The secret passage”, Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Antwerp, B
2020 “Lesse is more”, DOM, Brussels, B
2020 “Thesauros”, Somos Art, Berlin, D
2018 “WOLKENKUCKUCKSHEIM”, w-o-l-k-e, Brussels, B
2017 “Rolling up the window", CURIOSITY, Heershagestraat 14, Gent, B
2014 “I Told You So. The World Is Flat.”, Galerie Fortlaan17, Gent, B
2011 “NOMAD, The Deconstruction of place”, ARTELES Creative Centre, Haukijarvi, F
“Living on A Vertical Plane” , 2M3, Brussel, B
“What's in a piece of soil?”, SECONDroom, Antwerpen, B
2010 “BRU - GNT' Lotte Van Den Audenaeren & Jan Verbruggen”, Galerie Fortlaan17, Gent, B
2009 “LAND. A sense of place”, VIENNA INTERNATIONAL APARTMENT, Brussel, B
2008 “LAND! A sense of place”, SEAS - CC Scharpoord, Knokke – Heist, B
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023 "10 Years, what a surprise! Part 1", Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Antwerp, B
2022 "Touch-Line(s) #3", Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Antwerp, B
2020 "Walk around the park + Yes, we are open!", Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Antwerp, B
2019 "Shining Ground", Eva Steynen.Deviation(s), Antwerp, B
2018 "IN5TAWOL", Creatie van installatie tijdens Kunstenfestival FE5TIWOL, w-o-l-k-e, Brussel, B
2017 "SECONDroom X", Expo rond het tienjarig bestaan van kunstenplatform SECONDroom, Antwerpen, B
2017 Drop database, FESTIWOL, w-o-l-k-e, Brussel, B
2014 2M3 at w-o-l-k-e, Wolke, Brussel, B ; Palletical , w-o-l-k-e, Brussel, B
2013 “w-o-l-k-e-interventions”, PeriFeria Festival, Woluweveld, B
“DARKROOM”, A scientific experiment in collaboration with the Faculty Neuroscience of Ghent University, Citadelpark Gent, B
“One Of A Kind”, Galerie Fortlaan17, Gent, B ; “w-o-l-k-e unofficial opening”, w-o-l-k-e, Brussel, B
2012 “GODIVA, A collaborative story”, Nadine, Brussels, B
“ABSENCE#PRESENCE”, Fortlaan17 Galerie, Gent, B
“PBK Harelbeke”, CC Het Spoor, Harelbeke, B
“ Gaverprijs 2012”, CC De Schakel, Waregem, B
2011 “LINE FORM SPACE ORDER”, Galerie Fortlaan17, Gent, B
“Flemish Artists Project”, Ionion Center for the Arts and Culture, Kefalonia, Greece
“Image Crash Test Dummies”, Frans Masereel centrum, Kasterlee, B
“Prijs voor jonge kunstenaars: Brasschaat 11”, Antwerpen, B
“Rounder / Kiertelijä”, ARTELES Creative Centre, Galleria Rajatila & Lake Parila, Tampere, Finland
“SCULPTURE” , Galerie Fortlaan17, Gent, B
2010 “Social Networking in the Arts”, Trendbeheer, Art Rotterdam, NL
“Sorry, I was busy doing art III” Recyclart art centre, Brussel, B
“Moordnoces @ Het Wilde Weten”, Het Wilde Weten, Rotterdam, NL
“A Brief History of SECONDroom”, SECONDroom / moorDNOCES, Brussel, B
“No Mistake : 52 Weeks”, SECONDroom / moorDNOCES in collaboration with Trendbeheer, Brussel, B
2009 “A Certain Proposition”, SECONDroom, ARTLAB2@ Zennestraat17, Brussel, B
“Confrontaciones: Encuentro de posiciones”, Instituto Rural de Arte Hoz del Jucar, Alcala delJucar, Albacete, SP
“Secondroom @ Zennestraat17”, Brussel, B
2008 “La conquête du monde par l’ image”, M'ATUVU, Brussel, B
“Rural encounters”, Actionfields, Brussel, B
“M'as tu vu!”, BELvue MUSEUM, Brussel, B
“Actionfields / Construction site 1”, Actionfields , Brussel, B
2007 “Positionize!”, l’écurie/RTT, Laken, Brussels, B
“Out of control 2007”, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Etterbeek, Brussel, B
“Brussels at War”, P.S.K./P.B.A./ Bozar, Brussel, B
“Actionfields”, Neder-over-Heembeek, Brussel, B
“Ithaka XV, Deus Ex?”, Beeldend kunstenfestival van de KUL, Leuven, B
PRICES AND GRANTS
2012 Laureate - “Gaverprijs 2012”, Waregem, B
2011 Laureate - “Prijs voor jonge kunstenaars Brasschaat”, Antwerpen, B
2009 UNESCO bursary for Artists program ; Ontwikkelingsbeurs Vlaamse Gemeenschap.
COMMISSIONS
2011 “NOMAD, The Deconstruction of Place”, sculpture parc Brasschaat, B
CURATORIAL
2013 -… NOMAD, The Deconstruction of Place, The Bamboo Curtain Studios te Taipei, Taiwan.
2010 -2011 moorDNOCES/ SECONDroom, Recyclart and "Zennestraat 17 rue de la Senne”, Zennestraat 17, Brussel.
2006 Actionfields, Brussel, B
RESIDENCES
2019 Somos Art, Berlin, D
2012 Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venezia, IT
2011 Frans Masereel Centrum, Kasterlee, B
Ionion Centre of the Arts and Culture, Kefalonia, Greece
ARTELES Creative Centre, Tampere, Finland.
2010 Het Wilde Weten, Rotterdam, NL ; European Artists TV, Hällefors, Sweden
2009 Instituto Rural del Arte, Unesco Bursuary for Artists program, Alcala del Jucar, Albacete, SP