Filip Vervaet
Filip Vervaet
Over the years, the Belgian artist Filip Vervaet (b. 1977, Mechelen BE) has developed a particularly idiosyncratic visual language. Using the most diverse materials - from traditional bronze and metal to special paints used for auto-tuning and color filters - he combines various elements into a special universe. Art historical references, links to existing or non-existing civilizations, and allusions to science fiction come together in sculptures that exist in the fringes of past and future, and explore the boundaries of the medium.
From the post-apocalyptic, threatening scenes of his earlier work, Vervaet is increasingly evolving towards the artificial representation of nature. Exotic leaves that have been cast in aluminum and assembled into a new species; rough, irregular rock formations; bas-reliefs of imaginative plants in which the traces of his modeling fingers are still visible, they are all examples of the way in which Vervaet bends nature to his will. In this way, he refers to the perfectibility of nature, a recurring theme in his work.
He also increasingly brings to the fore the process-based aspects of his work by making casts of molds and turning them into new sculptures. This approach is fully in line with his obsession with the medium of sculpture. If initially he seemed to adhere to an existing tradition, he now increasingly goes his own way.
With his work, Vervaet aims to uncover the black holes in our perception, provide a glimpse of another reality, the subconscious, the supernatural. To this end, he also often works with the inside of the sculpture, as a metaphor for the 'subconscious'. The result is a psychedelic dream world that is as fascinating as it is elusive.
Sam Steverlynck
Artworks

Filip Vervaet
Trace, 2017
aluminium
217 x 5 x 4 cm


Filip Vervaet
Spacial construction, 2022
Steel, anodised aluminium, titanium, bronze, dichroic glass
variable dimensions

Filip Vervaet
Composition II (Forest Nativity), 2020
Bronze
122 x 85 cm

Filip Vervaet
Under the waxing present moon, 2020
plaster, laminated glass, aluminium frame
unique
127,5 x 93,4 cm

Filip Vervaet
A welcome guest, 2020
Bronze
Unique
170 x 52 cm

Filip Vervaet
Waiting for the sun, 2019
egaline, glass with dichroic coating
86,9 x 59 x 10,4 cm

Filip Vervaet
Day, 2019
gypsum, silicone, glass with dichroic coating
49.5 x 39.7 x 9.4 cm

Filip Vervaet
Column, 2018
Bronze
245 x 9 x 8 cm

Filip Vervaet
Bananas, 2016
Bronze
14 x 20 x 16 cm
ed. 5/6
Multiple - Each Unique

Filip Vervaet
Twin Peaks, 2006
Polyurethane, acrylic paint
140 x 220 x 68 cm

Filip Vervaet
Paradisio IV, 2017
Bronze, stainless steel, glass, window film, steel construction, concrete plywood
230 x 263 x 319 cm

Filip Vervaet
A Sedimental Journey, 2019
Plastiline, wood, steel construction, plexiglass, aluminum
3 parts
Each part: 250 cm x 199 cm

Filip Vervaet
Remnants of a brief history, 2020
Bronze & casting mould
54,4 x 43,4 cm

Filip Vervaet
Down by the River, 2019
aluminum
260 x 540 x 3 cm