Book launch: Walter Swennen ‘what the body can do’
Book launch of what the body can do by Walter Swennen featuring a musical performance by the duo Casimir Liberski and Ferdinand Lezaire. Introduced by Dirk Snauwaert.
About the book:
what the body can do is a series of works on paper, from palette and test sheets. These were used to try out certain colour combinations, layers, gestures and brush movements, and other ‘preparatory’ activities in the service of his paintings. When Swennen came across them later, he saw that some paintings needed only minor changes or additions before leading to a resolution.
Walter Swennen, Untitled, 2021
Painting is a physical activity, evidence of which can be found as much in the mess, debris and accidental side creations in the studio as in the finished canvases. All the actions of painting pass through the body. Yet when seeing these works one is only vaguely aware that one has made them, Swennen will muse, “it is hard to tell which of me did it”. - Walter Swennen
This new publication contains 40 works, the integral exhibition at Galerie Nicolas Krupp, Basel, Switzerland in 2022 and at Xavier Hufkens, Brussels in 2023.
The British visual artist and writer Tom Mason wrote a text especially for the book (EN) and Walter Swennen himself added some thoughts (FR/EN).
Casimir Liberski & Ferdinand Lezaire – Free Jazz Duo
This duo unites pianist Casimir Liberski and 20-year-old drummer Ferdinand Lezaire in a captivating exploration of free jazz. Lezaire’s fresh, youthful approach to the genre breathes new life into its traditions, while both musicians draw on their deep familial ties to visual art, shaping their music with a distinct sense of artistic aesthetics. Their performances are spontaneous, boundary-pushing, and inspired by a shared commitment to merging the worlds of sound and visual expression.
For this special performance at WIELS, the duo will be wearing unique knit pieces as full body costumes by Brussels-based artist Stephan Goldrarjch.