Berlinde De Bruyckere. Khorós

‘I want to show how helpless a body can be,’ the Belgian artist Berlinde De Bruyckere once said. Her sculptural works, which draw on biblical imagery and classical mythology as well as the art of Flemish Old Masters, are frequently fleshy and visceral, making use of materials such as animal skin, hair and wax. This show at the Bozar is De Bruyckere’s first major solo presentation in Brussels and displays works selected by the artist from the whole span of her career, from large-scale sculptures and installations to paintings and works on paper (21 February–31 August). ‘Khorós’ – the title of the exhibition – means the cast of singers or dancers present in Greek tragedy; here, it refers to De Bruyckere’s diverse set of influences. As such, the exhibition features works by some of the figures whose art she feels a particular affinity with – Lucas Cranach, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Patti Smith among them.

Preview below | View Apollo’s Art Diary
Find out more from Bozar’s website

Invisible Love (2011), Berlinde De Bruyckere. Private collection. Photo: Mirjam Devriendt; courtesy and © the artist

Lost V (2021–22), Berlinde De Bruyckere. Photo: Mirjam Devriendt; courtesy and © the artist

Courtyard Tales II (2017–18), Berlinde De Bruyckere. Photo: Mirjam Devriendt; courtesy the artist/Hauser & Wirth; © the artist