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As a result of studying Antrhopology and Art togeth- er I have always been interested in questioning the notions of normality and order in our perception and relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela- tionship with objects the most bewildering synthoms of our cultural behaviour. My work begings with the handling of ob- jects, the thoughtful manipulation of them. My aim is to rethink the relationship between me as a human, as someone who handles artifacts, and the relations between objects by themselves. My aim is to open the possibility of rethinking objects as living subjects (and not opposed to humans), to extend the time of perception of objects through the sense of suspense and also to question the relationship between ob- jects and language. This search happens through a series of dif- ferent acts and strategies. Firstable, a concern with the object’s material characteristics and sculptural possibilities. Choosing objects because of their ma- teriality implies having a whole different bodily atti- tude towards them. It implies handling them in rela- tion to ones own body, in ways that are not habitual. Habits define normality; to change habits change the perception of objects. To change habits also change ones own perception of the body in relation to ob- jects. Therefore I design actions to handle objects in ways that are abnormal. Then, the results of these actions are assemblages. In these assemblages of objects, they relate to each other in tension, suspen- sion, balance and pressure. Afterwards they are not separate objects coming together, they become a new kind of object, a body. In some other assem- blages, objects sieze to appear to represent what they are made for and they turn into other kinds of creatures. The change and alteration of the object’s use and way of being in space implies always a change in the language they carry (by imposition or incar- nation). I’m interested in analysing the way objects are named and the etymology of the words they are asigned with. I see the assemblages as the construc- tion of poetic and humoristic texts in the use of a material lexicon. Often this assemblages are presented in per- formances that are closely associated with an analy- sis of the context of exhibition, the act of writing and with the activation of installations. The performances have often take the shape of storytelling, concerts, dances, and card readings. - Juan Pablo Plazas, Brussels, Belgium. 2016 1 Selected projects from 2012 to 2016 Juan Pablo Plazas

relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

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Page 1: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

As a result of studying Antrhopology and Art togeth-er I have always been interested in questioning the notions of normality and order in our perception and relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela-tionship with objects the most bewildering synthoms of our cultural behaviour. My work begings with the handling of ob-jects, the thoughtful manipulation of them. My aim is to rethink the relationship between me as a human, as someone who handles artifacts, and the relations between objects by themselves. My aim is to open the possibility of rethinking objects as living subjects (and not opposed to humans), to extend the time of perception of objects through the sense of suspense and also to question the relationship between ob-jects and language. This search happens through a series of dif-ferent acts and strategies. Firstable, a concern with the object’s material characteristics and sculptural possibilities. Choosing objects because of their ma-teriality implies having a whole different bodily atti-tude towards them. It implies handling them in rela-tion to ones own body, in ways that are not habitual. Habits define normality; to change habits change the perception of objects. To change habits also change ones own perception of the body in relation to ob-

jects. Therefore I design actions to handle objects in ways that are abnormal. Then, the results of these actions are assemblages. In these assemblages of objects, they relate to each other in tension, suspen-sion, balance and pressure. Afterwards they are not separate objects coming together, they become a new kind of object, a body. In some other assem-blages, objects sieze to appear to represent what they are made for and they turn into other kinds of creatures. The change and alteration of the object’s use and way of being in space implies always a change in the language they carry (by imposition or incar-nation). I’m interested in analysing the way objects are named and the etymology of the words they are asigned with. I see the assemblages as the construc-tion of poetic and humoristic texts in the use of a material lexicon. Often this assemblages are presented in per-formances that are closely associated with an analy-sis of the context of exhibition, the act of writing and with the activation of installations. The performances have often take the shape of storytelling, concerts, dances, and card readings.

- Juan Pablo Plazas, Brussels, Belgium. 2016

1

Selected projects from 2012 to 2016

Juan Pablo Plazas

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2

From: Juan Pablo PlazasTo: Marianne BerenhautSubject: Monster (chapter 1)

Bureau Des Réalités21st of February - 18th of March 2016 Brussels, Belgium.(collaboration project with Marianne Berenhaut)

Il ne s’agit pas d’arranger les choses, il faut queles choses nous dérangent. Il s’agit qu’elles nousobligent à sortir du ronron- Francis Ponge, Le parti pris des choses.

This project was born out of coincidence, the en-counter between two artists from respectively re-mote generations and cultures; one was born in 1987, he is Colombian, the other in 1934, she is Bel-gian. Both share a common interest in the found ob-ject, its reality as an existing and autonomous thing, as well as its organization as sculpture. Yet we are not really dealing with assisted readymades, or even a subversive Dadaist gesture, but rather the object’s mutationtowards another form of existence, a living one.Juan Pablo Plazas examines the object with the con-

structed and sensitive gaze of the anthropologist and artist, studying its linguistic and symbolic vari-ations in order to produce object creatures and an animistic vocabulary.Marianne Berenhaut meticulously collects and classi-fies objects; taken out of their boxes or their drawer, she manipulates them in a direct and affective way, to bring them to life, as a new presence in the world. All these assemblies, even the most incongruous or abstract ones are characters which belong to the hu-man realm.The stability of Marianne Berenhaut’s sculptures since 1980 and her body of works called “Vie privée” seem precarious and temporary, while the work of Juan Pablo Plazas appears more rooted in a solid form.Both make up systems of objects full of humor, enig-ma and fantasy that also recall the principle of the modern poetic form and the game of free associa-tion. For Bureau des Réalités, Juan Pablo has articulateda set of objects through an etymological,semantic and plastic approach around the word“Monster”.

- Lilou Vidal. Brussels, Belgium. 2016

Installation view with the Cahier-récréation from Marianne Berenhaut · Photos: Isabelle Arthuis

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Monster?Yes, MonsterWhat do you mean by Monster?Well, normally Monster refers to anything horren-dous, horrible, repulsive, abject, dangerous, evil, deranged, perverted, corrupt, immoral, decadent, vicious, barbaric, savage, brutal, abnormal, mal-formed or just giant (too big).Quite a long list of adjectives isn´t it?True, I have the impression we just succeeded in re-lating Monster with everything that is negative. Butstill I feel we are not even close to a satisfactory defi-nition of the term.

Please, allow me to temporarily pull out morals from the definition of Monster. Sit down and allow your-self to forget about judgement for one paragraph. Let us try to approach the word Monster with some amount of objectivity.Recently, I came across a couple of etymology dic-tionaries which said that a Monster is a body with anorganisation that is uncommon, an exception to the rule.Therefore, a monster is a body!Also these definitions said that a body is a totality formed by its different parts; the parts form an order

and this order is what constitutes the body. However they also implied that bodies have a fixed order ora determined way of being. Bodies that move away from the ideal and “natural” order would be seen asMonsters.

The Monster is nature out of harmony with human order.Only the tender eyes of morality see evil in the trans-gression of order.

What do Monsters look like?Some appear like cats with two tails and cows with three heads; others look like creatures with body ofa horse, turtle legs and hippopotamus heads.

Now I wonder, is the Monster’s only role in society to stand as a symbol for what is despicable in it?

Let’s meet etymology for the second time. Monster comes from the latin Monstrum, which is related toMonere which means to advert. It is also related to Monstrare, in French Montrer and Spanish Mostrar.The relationship of Monster with showing and ad-verting has to do with the fact that it is seen as amanifestation of something divine, spiritual, meta-

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physical, or out of this world. In this case, the Mon-steris seen as evidence that defies the very establish-ments of nature as we think we know it. That is whyFreak-shows were a popular source of cruel enter-tainment for decades, because they incarnate thefrightful desire for defining normality.

Do Monsters really exist?YesYou mean human or animal Monsters?Neither one or the other, that would take us back to moral judgement.Then what?Monsters exclusively arise from nature?How about Monster-objects?Imagine how they would look like?What would be their name?

What happens if we force our moral pre-sets against these Monster-objects?Can human-made creatures get out of control?

Curiously enough, monsters in many cultures are liv-ing manifestations of objects. In Japanese folklore,for example, the Tsukumogami are household ob-jects and tools that become alive and most of the timerebel against humans. The Kasa-obake is an umbrel-la that turns into a monster after reaching 100 years

old. Every object has the potential to claim life, mostly when they turn 100 years old. The reason whythey rebel against humans is because they are dis-carded or thrown away. These objects claim life whenthey are useless, when they are thrown out from the order human-made things.

Can this happen outside fantasy?How can real life monsters appear from the nature of objects?

I conceive of monster-objects as in-between this al-teration of order and in their uselessness nature. Thecombination between parts of a chair, parts of a ta-ble and a hat would make something monstrous thatcould not be used anymore. In a moral sense some-thing abominable that doesn’t serve its noble andservile means. These Monsters are formed by a new body whose only function is to remain still andtense. Their uselessness as, with the Tsukumogami, is an evidence of their livelihood. The spontaneousarousal of Monsters is a proof of their own will to scape human order.

Are these Monsters immoral, decadent, vicious, etc.?I’m not the right person to ask.

- Juan Pablo Plazas. Brussels, Belgium. 2016.

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5Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016

Page 6: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

6 Her / base of chair, pot, cord / 41 x 65 x 41 cm. / 2016

Page 7: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

7Smiling Totumo / totumo pumpkin, cord, shelf support, hook / 25 x 39 x 16 / 2016

Page 8: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

8 Chenille / wooden bar, horse shoes, horse hair brush / 200 x 18 x 18 cm. / 2016

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9Smiling dog / Glass frame with metal arms, print, envelope, empty invitation / 48 x 65 x 1 cm. /2016

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10 A performance took place on the day of the opening entitled:

“The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat” based in the writings of Oliver Sacks.

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11

Esto

Héctor3rd of November - 4th of December 2015 Mexico city, Mexico.(solo project)

After a few weeks in Mexico city I became aware of the big amount of markets that are everywhere. There are fruit and vegetables markets, clothes mar-kets, hardware markets, furniture markets, electron-ics markets, services markets, crafts markets, special events markets, costume markets, book markets, second hand markets of everything I just mentioned and finally a big (very big) religious objects market. The flux of objects from this hectic commerce shape the ways of México city since pre columbian times.

For a month I made excursions through this markets and each time took with me objects that stood for encounters or impressions of the character of the places I visited. The nature of this excursions I liked to call subconscious prospections. Each object func-tions like a note in a field book. The specificity of the objects or the encounter was not something I looked for, it found me.

After I had enough notes (objects) I made assem-blages with them, starting with formal and material relations between them. This procedure would al-lowed the objects to relate to each other with auton-omy. This assemblages stand as conclusions and ar-guments about the context and the time I was there.

By chance and/or coincidence most of the assem-blages look like birds, an animal that is very pres-ent in the symbols of Mexican identity. They were presented during the days of the death in Héctor, a date where many objects and food are offered to the spirits that come back.In Mexican calendars is very common to mention events that by occurred on the same date in dif-ferent years. This kind of calendars are called “ef-emerides”. This word also refers to the study of the position of planets and stars, and the possibility ro predict their movements. My interpretation of the relation between the two meanings of “efemerides” would be that all the events that happen on a certain date are meant to be somehow associated.This is the main reason why now I decided to the whole process “efemerides de octubre”.

-Juan Pablo Plazas. Brussels, Belgium. 2016.

Installation view

Page 12: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

12 Gallina / traditional Oaxacan mask, tie / 2015

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13Pajaro 1 / beeswax candle, hook / 2015

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14 Pajaro 2 / metal nail for shoe polishing, chandeliers / 2015

Page 15: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

15In the opening night a concert was given by “El fierro mas fierro”a band formed in collaboration with Pablo Escallón.

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The Wachter

These Things Take Time22nd of January - 5th of February 2015Gent, Belgium. (solo project)

In These Things Take Time Juan Pablo Plazas opens up a direct dialogue with the character-istics of the exhibition space, its vitrine, the pas-ser-by’s, and the place’s previous functions. The project centers around the etymology and the many definitions of the Dutch term “wach-ter”. For The Wachter Plazas literally performs the role of a ‘watchman’ in order to explore the different meanings of the word and its implica-tions for our actions. Over a span of three nights and four days Plazas will stay awake, watching over what happens behind the vitrine of These Things Take Time, while at the same time be-ing watched. Waiting, watching and observing, Plazas will examine how body and language are inextricably linked.

- These Things Take Time. Gent, Belgium. 2015

Dear TTTT,

Last week I heard from the first time the last name De Wachter.Apparently is a very common last name in Bel-gium (from the Antwerp area), also in Germany, although the german version is written slightly different, with two dots above the A (ä).

I have been thinking a lot about it since then.

Before, I have only heard the word Wacht which someone told me means Wait. I immediately translated Wachter as Waiter, not in the sense of someone who serves at a restaurant but as someone who Waits. The Wachter is the one who waits. It´s true that a Waiter in a restaurant it´s technically waiting while he is not taking or-ders or serving them.

What is the Wachter waiting for?

When translated to english the Wachter means the Watchman. The Watch-man is Someone who

Installation view · Photos pages 16 and 19 : Matthias Yzebaert

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guards, who keeps an eye on; Also someone who Waits for something to happen (anything). I find this curious, because Watch in english can be a verb (to watch, to observe carefully) and an instrument for marking the passage of time:“I bought a new swiss watch”“You can watch me from that bench”Watching has to do with observing, with vision and with time.

After a bit of research I found that Wachter and Wacht, in dutch, descent from the same root as Watch and Wait in english: Wæcce or Wake in modern english. Wake is the action of not sleep-ing, of not falling asleep. the Watch-man not only observes and waits but remains awake in the process. He cannot fall asleep because he needs to be awake in order to observe. While others are sleepers, the Watchman is a Waker. As far as I´m concerned, in dutch Wakker means the same as Wachter.

I find the role of the Wachter fascinating. I find intriguing the definition of it´s function. The Wa-

chter must observe, to observe he/she must wait, to wait actively he/she must remain awake.I want to ask you to let me be the Wachter of TTTT for three nights and four days. Since you invited me to do something, thinking of a display case, I think this is the best solution. I want to be the Wachter of a vitrine because I find beautiful-ly paradoxical to be exposed in the act of active-ly observing. While I´m in the space I know the process of remaining awake for such a long time asks for propper preparation dealing with food and bodily dispositions. I will develop actions closely related to the process of being inside a closed space for this amount of time that would result in the visible result of the process. Other dispositions required for the happening of this action are enclosed to this letter.I would like to call this whole action The Wach-ter.

Sencirely,Juan Pablo Plazas Brussels, Belgium. 2015

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18 Dog / tiles, shovel / 82 x 16 x 15 cm. / 2015

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19Wacht Hier / mirrored text on window / 600 x 200 cm, / 2015

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20 A performance took place in the day of the opening about the experience ofinhabit-

ing this particular exhibition space. The performance is entitled: “The Wachter”.

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Matter Matters #1: Juan Pablo Plazas

TAC16th of January - 15th February 2015Eindhoven, The Nederlands.(Solo project)

Dear Marleen,

The first time I went to Eindhoven I took a long walk around the Vanabbemuseum. I was happy to unex-pectedly encounter a lot of work by Marcel Brood-thaers there. At that time I was, and I still am devot-ed admirer of his work. To meet you there was also a very fortunate and unexpected encounter, I believe.

After we spoke I went through the bookshop just to search for books about Broodthaers. I ended up buying a postcard. The postcard was a picture of Tapis de sable, an in-stallation of Broodthaers from 1963. The image had a palm tree inside a pot, which at the same time was at the center of a square made of sand framed by letters made of pigment. Next to it there was a cloth with a printed palm and letters. Apparently Brood-thaers never said anything about this work, so say

my fellow Belgians. I have to admit I am very attract-ed by the fact that this work is just silent. I found very beautiful the fact that a poet wanted to create a work beyond words.

The second time I went back to Eindhoven it was Mr. Phillips that haunted me. From my arrival at the station until TAC I think I saw his last name about 6 times in a row. As I talked to Maartin from produc-tion, he told that the building used to hold Mr. Phil-lips office itself, this building was the Phillips Winkel. The room where I exhibited couldn’t have been his office, I am sure, as It’s a room with no windows and it would have been torture. As I went in that room and cleaned it I found a lot of spiders, the ones that can live in spaces with no light like caves, for example. During those days, Rob told me that this room was one of the vaults from the Phillips company. He knew this as he happened to be one of the first people to break into it when the Vanabbemuseum moved in temporarily. He described the process as opening a room with nothing in it: no air, no light, no money, really nothing, “not even spiders” he said. The first thing that came to my mind is that it was a perfectly silent room.

Installation view · Photographs page 23: Niek Tijsse Klasen. Page 27: Jack van Gerwen

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In the days we shared in Eindhoven, I find curious that we never spoke about the work I was doing. I showed you a poem I made:

“In a room with no windows, no air, no light,only spiders can be found”.

Those were the only words we shared about it. Al-though, this was never an obstacle for developing my work there, I did have to get used to it. Silent was the motor for producing works and silent is what they produced. Indeed there is something that links Mr. Broodthaers Tapis de sable, the vault of Mr. Phillips, and the impulse that made me produce my work. Funny enough, I still cannot say what it is.

Finally, I discovered in Eindhoven that when you re-main silent long enough you can hear the electricity running and producing artificial light.I hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,Juan Pablo Plaza. 12th of March 2015Brussels, Belgium.

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23Flying Broom / broom, radiator, leather cords / 2015

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24 Dragon Meter / clamps, wooden meter / 100 x 10 cm. / 2015

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25Full Moon Lamp / frosted glass, bulb, socket, cable, wooden trestle / 2015

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26 Full Moon Lamp / frosted glass, bulb, socket, cable, wooden trestle / 2015

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27Room / light box, vynil letters / 130 x 195 cm. / 2015

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NationalVipère

Former Vivaqua Building8th - 17th of May 2015 Brussels, Belgium.(solo project in the context of a wider overview on the cultural field in Belgium)

Dear Lilou and Pieter,

I hope this mail finds you well.Last week I have been to the space of National to get more familiar with it. By cleaning, walking and arranging it a bit, I had a better impression of the size and particularities of the space. It also helped me to develop an initial and more clear plan of what I want to do there.

As usual it is a sum of coincidences. It starts with a bunch of ties that I got for free from a Sunday mar-ket in a primary school nearby. I took them to my studio and started to knot them together. Soon, I discovered that if by introducing one tie inside the other it looks like they are eating each other. In order to make them stay together in different positions I

pinned them with coloured head pins. Then I dis-cover that the pins looked like eyes. Now the ties looked like snakes, eating each other in an endless row. After having found the close and amusing resem-blance between ties and snakes I picked up my french dictionary to search for poisonous snake. I found Vipères, which refers not only to poisonous snake but to a vicious and sneaky person. I immedi-ately felt attracted with the comparison between hu-man and animal behaviour. Between ties and snakes.

When I got to the space of National I found that there is many holes where my vipères would crawl, cross, break and invade. The ties, one after the other would harmoniously refer to the office look of the building (it’s identity). The building itself would hold it as it invades it. I think the coming together of ties, vipères, and an office building in decay builts an in-teresting crossing of thoughts.

Last week I started to pass a cord through the places where I would like the vipères to pass by. Attached (through we transfer) you will find pictures of this try-out and a page of the dictionary that refers to the vipère.

Vipère / dust, fixative spray / 371,5 x 146,5 x 10 cm. / 2015

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It is my intention to replace the cord with the se-quence of pinned ties throughout the space as the central piece of my installation. For the windows in the back (the cash register and others) I would like to use them for writing a text related to the Vipère; for this I would like to use dust that I collected from the space spread over vinyl letters that I would remove afterwards. Other smaller interventions might take place but it’s a matter of getting more familiar with the space to define them.

I would like to know your opinion about all of this and if there is any question related to the process please write me.

Have a nice day and hope to see you soon,

Juan Pablo Plazas7th of April 2015, Brussels, Belgium.

(window scheme)

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30 Vipère / ties, colored head pins / variable dimensions / 2015

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31Vipère / ties, colored head pins / variable dimensions / 2015

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ALGH

105 Besme23rd of April 2015Brussels, Belgium.(group exhibition)

Algh: an interjection, a punctuation, something we express with no constraint of making sense or build-ing rationales. ALGH as an onomatopeous play on work, on art, on space, on meaning and the (non)sense we want to make of it.

Basket, Ball, Bunny, Breast / Cutted Basket Ball/ 33 x 47 cm. / 2015 · Photos: Marc Watthieu.

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33Garden / Rubber boot, wooden hand, book / 2015

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The Divided Body

Predikherenkerk14th of October 2014Leuven, Belgium.(group exhibition)

Dear Juan Pablo,

It seems they really love you in Holland, which i cer-tainly can understand ;-)

About the setting: it’s in Leuven, I did lots of efforts to get it, finally i got it. It’s an amazing church, build on the grave of a former Duke III of Brabant, the fa-ther of Jan Primus which is a the founder of Primus, a famous Belgian beer. The grave is still in the church see attach. Also the church has the oldest wooden structure in Leuven, and so on, and so on ...[...]fingers crossed for what might be good news con-cerning the Jan-Naaikensprijs.

all the bestWim Lambrecht28th of Argust 2015, Gent, Belgium.

Hello Hello Wim,

Now for the church, I look back at the pictures I took I and already have some questions/ impulses/ urges:

I realized there are some elements from the church like wooden frames or wooden columns that have fallen or are falling down. Is like the whole body of the church is being dismembered by time, little by little. It´s strange its state. It´s empty in most of its wholes and crypts.I wonder now if it would be possible to move those fallen pieces from where they are now? or if... they have to remain where they are. I´m sending you the pictures I took so you can get me better maybe. (I´m sending you through we transfer).

Also in the pictures I´m sending you are included the pictures from the small space above Ana Torf´s.I arranged my trip to London to be also next monday in Leuven.

Cheers mate!Juan Pablo15th of October 2015, Brussels, Belgium.

Archeological weight / Wooden column and rubber shoes / 160 x 170 x 60 cm. / 2015

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35On the ocassion of a symposium in the frame of the exhibition a performance took place under the title: “How To Walk With The Dead”

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36

Blind Magic

Mieke van Schaijk Galerie,16th of November 2014 - 4th of January 2015 ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.(solo project)

I would like to propose the paradox of a blind magic.How possible can it be?

I imagine it as a trick that doesn’t distinguish be-tween what is hidden and what is shown. Everything is hidden, everything is shown. Everything is fiction and therefore everything is real. In the blind magic, all its mechanisms are visible, and yet it creates illu-sion, it holds a mystery. The mystery of reality and fiction working together, hand in hand. Where is theplace where the trickster and the tricked are partners in crime?

One classic example of this kind of magic is based in the simple turning of the order of things upside down: the turning of appearances, power relations and hierarchies. In the past, this trick was associated with the crazy, the funny, the strange and yet its visi-ble connection to the world made it very possible in

the minds of the tricked.

What I present to you here are some attempts to ap-proach and conceive a blind magic trick. It is based on the fragile presence of objects being taken off their natural order. Being forced to live and relate one to the other in positions that are not accustomed to them. Instead of displaying these objects as ready to use I want to present them as autonomous living beings. Someone said once that they feel like lazy lying creatures.

Juan Pablo Plazas5th of October 2014, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.

Fishimg Lamp / fishing cane, enameled metal plate / 207 x 50 cm. / 2014 Hips / swimsuit, motorcycle tire, clothes hangers / 41 x 70 x 8 / 2014

Page 37: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

37Prothese / shirt, jeans, crutches, wooden bar, cord, etiquette / 180 x 126,5 cm. / 2014

Page 38: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

38 Sign / gymsuit, tramsign, metal bar, wooden flatbar, cord / 113 x 75 cm / 2014

Page 39: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

39Ghost / jeans, cloth hanger / 184 x 40 cm. / 2014

Page 40: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

40 Frog / tiles, gloves, doorstop / 40 x 45 cm / 2014

Page 41: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

41

Paper Works

Galerie Tatjana Pieters14th September - 9th November 2014 Gent, Belgium.(group exhibition)

‘La Rousse’ (2014) is the result of a performance at Kunstpodium in Tilburg earlier this year. During this performance Plazas covered each page of this French dictionary with a veil, ‘covering the content with form’. This action refers to how the artist expe-riences the first steps in learning a new language: imitating sound without thinking about its content. After the performance the result was exhibited as an installation by connecting the veils as a hanging swing for the book. Since La Rousse means redhead, according to the artist the sculpture also refers as ahead hanging on scarfs in an empty space.

The installations ‘Girls #1’ and ‘Girls #3’ (2013) are an ensemble of random objects that came together coincidentally and therefor were meant to be, some-times an absurd way. The capability of the installa-tions to stand on their own confirms their oneness.With this idea the artists also collects the images he

uses from magazines, a natural hybrid of pictures. Seeing physical possibilities between two images makes him connecting them.

- Tatjana Pieters, 2014

La rousse / Larousse french dictionary, veils / variable dimensions / 2014

Page 42: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

42 La rousse / Larousse french dictionary, veils / variable dimensions / 2014

Page 43: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

43Girls # 1 / mirror, frosted glass, magazine cuts, belts, foam / 80 x 90 cm. / 2014

Page 44: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

44 Spreekkamer / phone, books, postcard, stickers, fabric, chair / 2014 · Photo: Adrijana Gvozdenovic

Exorcised

Luca school of arts Brussels26th of June - 29th of June 2014 Brussels, Belgium.(MFA Luca graduation exhibition)

To make an object stand on its own, outside normal-ity, means to place it in equilibrium, balance and/or pressure, achieving positions that are not accus-tomed for the object. The object has to be taken out of its given position in space. The material constitu-tion of the object should allow this to happen with-out any trouble. The linguistic reality of the object would be in trouble because it would be acting out-side its given use, and would be used in a wrong and unexpected way. The object is being misinterpreted.

Once the object is placed in balance and equilibrium it probably still needs the help from of a human to compensate it and prevent it from falling. Although there is no specific need of the human touch for this matter, because its agency is of a dull support. Therefore it can be replaced by another object (or more) with the same properties of weight and re-sistance. After an object covers the supporting task

in the balance, both objects become independent from human touch.

Once the objects are relating to each other out of their normality something new arises. A new object is created, which gives the object a new body and the ability of facing the physical autonomy of a hu-man being. For this new object, human intervention a very risky agent to its delicate material configura-tion. This new object is charged with the physical energy of the material relations between the objects involved. The name of this new object is the result of the linguistic operations carried on by the objects involved in the assemblage. The resulting name is not necessary a sum of the names they already had, but a new one configured on its own qualities as an object.

The wall you see here is normally used as a separa-tion between working spaces and for hanging oth-er objects in suspense as an image. Objects seem at ease but on the wall but are in constant struggle from falling. they are references and elements also used while working here. The whole assemblage is called spreekkamer. Literally: speechroom.

- Juan Pablo Plazas. 2014. Brussels, Belgium.

Page 45: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

45Spreekkamer / mobile wall, phone, chair, books, postcard, vynil letter, plastic signs, fabric / 2014

Page 46: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

46

Don’t Hesitate Don’t Move

Project Space C1.02Sint-Lukas,18th of January 2013Brussels, Belgium.(solo project)

My dearest objectmy desiredon’t hesitatedon’t move I want to give you a good look.

Installation view / 2013 · Photo: Sascha Herrmann

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47

The Burial of a Twentieth Trip / plastic bag, cobblestone, plastic flower, paper / 2013A Couple Travelled Together to Foreign Countries with Elephants / plastic bags, carton, postcard, stone / 2013The Code Breaker, An Unknown Beast / sticks, rope, feather, wooden box, glass cup, paper / 2013An abstract picture / tape, wooden box, thread / 2013

Page 48: relationship with reality. Most of all I find in our rela€¦ · Brussels, Belgium. 2016. Belly chair / chair and cord / 96 x 104 x 104 cm. / 2016 5. 6 Her / base of chair, pot,

48 The Fall of Gods / plastic lamp, metal cross, thread / 2013

Romance / paper, carton box, shell / 2013