Wiels | EN

With The Good Shepherd and other sculptures for the not so converted, Sven `t Jolle returns to his work of the past twenty years in search of Biblical imagery and Christian iconography. This quest leads him through a labyrinth of images, from a Shiite Pietà and the joyous arrival of Jesus in Malibu to detention on Christmas Island. Associative links are made between disparate cultural elements and socio-political subjects. For the artist, religious references form merely a foundation of meaning in working towards a broader societal story. The artist draws upon his vast sketchbook archive, among other sources, to create a book that affords insight into his artistic process as well as the train of thought behind his multi-faceted oeuvre.

The impetus for this book came in late 2015 with the exhibition of the same name in the historical Heilige Geest ('Holy Spirit') site in Lier, where the artists' initiative Voorkamer is based. The notion of ‘preaching to the choir’, which is touched upon in the subtitle, refers here to the question of what role art may or may not play in the war of ideas in society. This is a question tackled in the accompanying text by philosopher Robrecht Vanderbeeken, author of the recently published book Buy Buy Art – De vermarkting van kunst en cultuur(EPO, 2015).

PRESENTATION
Thursday 26 May 2016 — 19:300
With Sven ‘t Jolle interviewed by Robrecht Vanderbeeken
Free

BOOK
‘The Good Shepherd and other sculptures for the not so converted:
Co-production with KUNSTENAARSINITIATIEF VOORKAMER
96 pages – ft. 21 x 30 cm
€ 25