BAM

bio

Is JC a freak, an outsider, a weirdo who breathes, eats and sleeps clay? Does he occupy an anachronistic position in the world of contemporary art? Does his pseudo-classical use of a narrative structure on the borderline of art and non-art have a retro effect, or is he indeed ten years ahead of his time with his reflections on 'The Grotesque', 'The Baroque' and 'The Mannerist'?
His innocent, almost naïve-looking figurative sculptures are complex metaphors with a socio-political agenda. Fascism, fanaticism, racism, the extreme right-wing and sexual discrimination collide with reflections on the absurd, fragile nature of human relationships, on the helpless emotional communication and incompatibility of the sexes. The recent sculptures are more abstract and show the complexities of today's chaos. JC believes in the almost magical, possessed power of the unique object and in the healing qualities of 'Sculpture'. In most cases he locates his sculptural installations in historically loaded spaces with substantial added value; a quarantine area in the Mediterranean sea (Sète), a Roman underground water reservoir (Istanbul) and the Renaissance rooms at the Louvre (Paris).

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Solo Exhibitions (selection)

2008

Musée de la Chasse, Paris (France)
'De Gewonden', Keramiekmuseum Princessehof, Leeuwarden (The Netherlands)
'La Femmina', Musée archéolique Henri-Prades, Lattes (France)
'Strange Fruit', Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Miami (USA)

2007

'Johan Creten Beelden', Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden (The Netherlands)

2006

'Narcissus saved', Galerie Transit, Mechelen (Belgium)

2004

'Miami Dreams', De Garage - ruimte voor actuele kunst, Mechelen (Belgium)

2003

'Johan Creten', J.Johnsongallery, Jacksonville (USA)
'Johan Creten. Miami Dreams', Bass Museum of Art, Miami (USA)
'Johan Creten, sculpture', Elaine Baker Gallery, Boca Raton (USA)

2001

'3 Torsos', Robert Miller Gallery, New York (USA)

2000

'Johan Creten. Ceramic Sculpture', Riva Yares Gallery, Scottsdale (USA)

1999

'Johan Creten', Casa del Obispado, Arte Actual Mexicano, Monterrey (Mexico)
'New sculptures from Artesanarte', Villa de García, s.l. (Mexico)

1998

'Odore di Femmina', Robert Miller Gallery, New York (USA)
'L'homme parfait', MAMCO, Genève (Switzerland)

1997

'La Misère Dorée', Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Louvre, Paris (France)

1996

'Johan Creten', John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sheboygan (USA)

1995

'Amerika, Amerika', Gallery Arndt & Partner, Berlin (Germany)
'Johan Creten. Huis van Bewaring', Stedelijk Museum "Het Toreke", Tienen (Belgium)

1993

'Johan Creten', Villa Arson, Nice (France)

1992

'Het paard van Troje', Galerie Transit, Leuven (Belgium)
'Memento Mori', Stelling, Leiden (The Netherlands)

1991

'Incrustraties', Picaron editions, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

1990

'L'oeil de l'antiquaire', Galerie Transit, Leuven (Belgium)

1988

'Kunstkamer', Galerie Meyer, Paris (France)

Group Exhibitions (selection)

2008

'Sand', Parrish Museum, Southampton, New York (USA)
'La dégelée Rabelais, la Dive Bouteille, Trich', Chateau de Jau, Fonds régional d'art contemporain, Languedoc-Rousillon (France)
'Sonsbeek 2008: Grandeur', Sonsbeek (The Netherlands)

2006

'Céramique fiction' Musée des Beaux-Arts, Rouen (France)
'From Arp to Bourgeois', Wallace Collection, London (United Kingdom)

2005

'Contrepoint 2', Musée du Louvre, Paris (France)

2004

'The Earth is 1/3 Dirth', C.U. Art Museum, Boulder, Colorado (USA)

1999

'Garten der Flora', Museum Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen, Magdeburg (Germany)
'Arts festival 1999 - Ceramic Millennium: Ceramics by Visitors', Frans Hals Museum & Vleeshal, Haarlem (The Netherlands)

1997

'Brandend Zand', Museum Beelden aan Zee, Scheveningen (The Netherlands)
'5th International Istanbul Biennial', Yerebatan Cistern, Istanbul (Turkey)

1995

'Femininmasculin', selection Marie Laure Bernadac et Bernard Marcadé, Centre national d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou, Parijs (France)