Gustave Demoen

Gustave Demoen is a visual artist, curator, musician, performer and initiator of the ‘Etna, Art & Research Center’. He lives and works mainly in Brussels, Belgium.
In his multidisciplinary art practice he is often guided by his environment, its coincidences and encounters that take place there:
in art school he played in an improvisation collective (a-e-i-o-u),on his bedroom window he organized an art space (TINA)& from his collection of Etna postcards he created a video installation (Fuoco).

Ateliers participatifs de l’Enjoliveur
Atelier de l’Enjoliveur - Quartier Gaucheret Schaerbeek, Brussels
06.10.2024 - 19.12.2024

In January 2024, artist and teacher Roel Kerkhofs moved into his new studio in the gaucheret neighborhood of Schaerbeek, Brussels. As part of his doctorate: the fight against loneliness, trying to reveal mystic truths (quote Martin Creed) and out of love for collective creation, he invited a group of former students to become part of the Atelier de l’Enjoliveur.

In the future, the studio wants to become a place for experimentation and exhibitions but before inviting outside people, it wants to get to know its neighbors. Driven by curiosity and the search for beauty in the everyday life, Roel Kerkhofs and Gustave Demoen together built a cart with which they want to get to know the relatively small neighborhood of about 10 streets.

The cart symbolizes the floor of the studio, which was not accidentally painted in the same dark red. Over a period of two months, they drive out the floor three times for four days in search of a parking spot where they can stop temporarily. Once parked, the cart and all the art work materials it carries becomes an object of dialogue. In doing so the passersby are invited to make their own contribution to the project or cart that often changes its function: a table, a stage, a musical instrument, a canvas, a kitchen....

Before the studio became a home for artists, it was a car garage. The name enjoliveur refers to a hubcap in French or literally translated a beautifier. In Ateliers participatifs de l’Enjoliveurs, Roel and Gustave share their own and go in search of the neighbors their enjoliveurs de la vie.

Double You Double YouBizet Bizar, Brussels
05 - 07.07.2024

What if a saxophonist sits on a 20-meter swing? What if a skateramp becomes an instrument? How does it feel to collectively read a short story accompanied by a live soundtrack?

Spread over three days, Werkplaats Walter organized a series of twelve musical experiments. Each time, musicians were asked to improvise to an everyday event of a park. These events were performed by neighborhood initiatives: Emancipower Boxing Club, MUS-E in collaboration with Cultureghem, Tai Chi Equilibre en Mouvement, Museums of Belgium with their kites etc.

Curated by een-twee (Janes Zeghers & Gustave Demoen) as part of their residency in Werkplaats Walter.

© Monica Annys Fierlafijn
Participating artists: Roxane Metayer, MUS-E Belgium, Sarah Lauwers, Orphan Fairytale, Museums of Belgium, a-e-i-o-u, Shoko Igarashi, Anouk Neyens, Les Gastrosophes, Teun Verbruggen, Tsubasa Hori, Robbe Broeckx, Emancipower, Lynn Cassiers, FUZZY Quintet, Victor Van Wassenhove, Anton Lambert, BX’elles, Gilles Vandecaveye-Pinoy, Maya Dhondt, Andrew Claes, Come On Feet (jam), The Sonic Weather Station, Florence Cats, Clara Lévy, Taichie Equilibre en Mouvement, Watcharita Aroon, Fester Vogels & Lila Maria de Coninck, Haring Books and een-twee.

Many thanks to the golden audioduo: Oscar Claus and Rodion Gholobov.

This festival was made possible with the support of Werkplaats Walter, Urban Brussels, 1070 Cultuur, Vlaanderen Verbeelding Werkt and VGC Brussel.

Tien euro voor een bord*de Koer, Ghent
25.05.2024

Brussels artist duo een-twee invited as many visual as performance artists for an evening of food, art, performance, concerts, drinks and dancing. All actions were gathered around a large yellow table they built with the help of a group of neighborhood volunteers. This table cleaved throught all the six different spaces of de Koer, bringing together a sculpture and a performance in each space.

A series of plates were made especially for this evening. When the delicious meal was finished, you could see a drawing appear. These were drawn by the local art school. The evening’s lineup was shown on the back of the plate. As a dessert, each visitor could take home a plate as a souvenir at the end of the night.

© Faber Mahieu
Participating artists: Linus Vandewolken, Olga Dhaene & Maikel De Greve, Radio Hito, Clara Spilliaert, Hot Bodies, Mathias Prenen, Mamore, DJ Loessy, Betül Sefika and een-twee.

Many thanks to the students of Sint-Lucas Kunsthumanoira for drawing on the plates, the cooking team of the Koer for the amazing meal and last but not least the fabulous building team of de Koer who made it possible to build the scenography: Kalli, Laure, Benwa, Dany, Mathias, Erfan, Lorenzo & Marec.

This evening was made possible with the support of de Koer, the City of Ghent and Culture Ghent.

Les Mouchoirs de PocheCONVENT Art Space & Industriemuseum, Ghent
1-21.12.2023

Gustave Demoen brought together 33 artists who are all handkerchief devotees. He invited them to each interpret the handkerchief in their own personal way. The results were presented in a scenography by architect Joris Kerremans.

Exhibition views © Cato Van Rijckeghem

There was a performances at the opening by Duo Naan who composed a piece inspired by the air articulation of blowing into a handkerchief and there were different readings over the course of the evening by Sneeze Ensemble: musician and visual artist Lukas De Clerck recited the Sneeze Ensemble’s manifesto.

Vernissage © Cato Van Rijckeghem

After 3 weekends the exhibition moved to the Industriemuseum where it entered into dialogue with the centuries-old textile tradition of Ghent.

Industriemuseum © Martin Corlazzoli

Participating artists: Celine Aernoudt, Jonas Apers, Stan Auwers, Leonie Buysse, Stefan Clappaert, Olga D’haene, Lukas De Clerck, Krista De Mulder, Kasper De Vos, Laurence Decraene, Louise Degraeve, Hans Demeulenaere, Gustave Demoen, Nikolaas Demoen, Carina Diepens, Dieter Durinck, Gerard Herman, Judith Herman, Veva Leye, Oona Libens, Amber Meulenijzer, Patrick Meulenijzer, Ruben Pauwels, Dries Peeters, Elisa Raciti, Guy Rombouts, Ad van Campenhout, Jakob Van den Broucke, Pomme Van Laer, Dries Van Laethem, Charlotte Vandenbroucke, Klaas Vanhee, Lisa Vantorre.

The exhibition was made possible with the support of the City of Ghent, Culture Ghent and Duvel Moortgat.

Great Noses Are Blown AlikeZakdoekenpocket — Les Mouchoirs de Poche (NL - ENG)
Posture Editions, 2023

The publication ‘Great Noses Are Blown Alike — Zakdoekenpocket — Les Mouchoirs de Poche’ was conceived to coincide with the exhibition ‘Les Mouchoirs de Poche’, for which Gustave Demoen brought together 33 artists who are all handkerchief devotees.

Cover © Posture Editions
There is a multitude of rituals associated with the handkerchief that are in danger of dying out should its use be discontinued. In the book, a text by Herta Müller lists some of these customs. Oriana Lemmens’ text in turn dwells on the history of this cloth artefact. All 33 handkerchief designs will be reproduced in the pocket-sized book. Finally, each artist has provided a short text to accompany their handkerchief.

Great Noses Are Blown Alike © Posture Editions

Graphic design: Louise Degraeve and Judith Herman.
Texts: Herta Müller and Oriana Lemmens.
Book concept: Gustave Demoen & Posture Editions.

The publication was made possible with the support of the City of Ghent and Culture Ghent.

PortraitScreen-printed on cotton handkerchief
29.5 x 29.5 cm, 2023

I’ve never bought a handkerchief. They’re usually passed down to me from my father and grandfather. Each of these bits of cloth carries with it the portrait of its (former) owner: my granddad wiped away his tears with it after a moving concert, my dad blew his nose on it theatrically and I myself use it mainly for capturing allergic leakages.
The washing machine attempts to erase the traces of use but mostly it succeeds in adding some structure to the lives of the handkerchiefs. Sometimes the handkerchief’s tenure is long, sometimes it is short. The rhythm is determined by the seasons. Though the soap may remove the bacteria, any marks remain emblazoned in the cotton by the heat of the iron.

For Les Mouchoirs de Poche, I actually did buy new handkerchiefs. They arrived in my mailbox. Not a single mark or trace of life on them, suspiciously white and aloof. I took one of these handkerchiefs and imprinted it with a self-portrait of my face from ear to ear.

Reproduction picture © Louise Degraeve
Handkerchief made for ‘Les Mouchoirs de Poche’, exhibtion at CONVENT Art Space Ghent.
Part of the amazing publication ‘Great Noses Are Blown Alike’, Posture Editions. Translation of the text by Jonathan Beaton.
Screen-printed at Het Lab, Entrepot, Brugge.
Special thanks to Julia Walk.

KONVOOI Festival 2023Het Entrepot, Bruges
25-27.08.2023

Een-twee (Janes Zeghers & Gustave Demoen) was invited to join four other curators to collectively set together KONVOOI 2023. The key concept was to try to transform this normally quite eclectic festival to a more collective experience. To this extent we chose to organize the festival on one long quay, this way all the spectators would be in one, yet vast, space. Furthermore we chose to never program two things at the same time, which caused the audience to move more as one. We also opted for the diner to be an artistic intervention, bringing both spectators and artists side by side at one long dining table.

In Case of an EmergencyPerformance with 40 yellow fluorescent paintings of 50 x 50 cm
Het Entrepot, Bruges
25-27.08.2023

At KONVOOI 2023, een-twee (Janes Zeghers & Gustave Demoen) presented their work In Case of an Emergency. Using over 40 fluorescent paintings they evacuated the festival terrain every day of the festival around 3 p.m. . The paintings consisted the danger icons they found in the harbor. Presented without the customary triangle these pictograms somehow became more poetic. In the performance, the paintings where handed out, as if it where fluorescent vests, to warn the visitors for the hazards witch would take place if it weren’t for the art festival.

EARC – Dancing on the Edge of the Etnan0dine, Brussels
15-25.06.2023

In June 2023, n0dine was the venue for ‘Dancing on the Edge of the Etna - Brussels’. All artists and collectives involved within the residencies in Catania were re-invited by the EARC to show their continuation of the research they started on the volcano.

Everything was brought together during a group show and performance programme. During the exhibition the audience could vote for the logo of the Etna Arts & Research Center designed by Catanese artist and designer Elisa Raciti.

© Lien Debruyne
Participating artists: Fyllenia Grigoriou & Anton Lambert, Lien Debruyne, Celine Aernoudt & Emile Van Hellepute, Conte Potuto, een-twee, Antonino Triolo and Elisa Raciti.

Curated by Etna Arts & Research Center & Gustave Demoen.

This exhibition was made possible with the support of nadine and VGC Brussel.