Royal Army and Military History Museum, Brussels
Pays Homage
My Heroes, 2016
Lieve D’hondt uses many different media in her works. Whether they are sculptures, installations, paintings, drawings, videos or flags, the final part of the artwork is usually the context wherein it is displayed. The interactions between the works and their environment are intricate to their understanding. Here Lieve D’hondt combines the past - the permanent exhibition - with the art of her present and future. Her works speak of an added layer, a reminder to those visiting the Army Museum. Even when dealing with harsh realities, art and beauty are not to be overlooked. They can change perspectives.
Replacing one Belgian flag with her artist-flag, fits in a bigger series of homages to ‘her heroes’: artists, writers and philosphers. She presents a colourful flag displaying a doubled line drawing based on Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres’ self portrait. The line drawing refers ao to Ingres, Matisse, Kelly and Warhol. The colourful background, an abstract patern, refers to the Modernists. The flag is flown amongst a row of Belgian flags, hanging above an important looking entrance, its colours purposely drawing attention opposed to the more toned down colours in the museum.
Her other piece in this project is inspired by the form and function of the war bed that used to belong to King Leopold I. The active image of a war clashes with the calmness of the bed, while her second flag on it stresses it isn’t just anyone’s bed. Both items are also connected in a more subtle way: Ingres and King Leopold I lived in the same times (1780-1867 and 1790-1865 respectively).
One flag waves, the other lays down. JD |
