bio

The work of Michael Van den Abeele, his drawings, videos, installations, sculptures and photographs are the result of his reinvention of the frames and references that define our existence. Notions such as space, territories and imaginary geographies are at the core of this work. His Belgian grey flag 'Birth of a Nation' deals with Belgian nationality as a ghost-appearance, a phantom that covers the true separation developments inside the country from the outside.
Solo Exhibitions (selection)

2011

  • 'Sentinel', Elisa Platteau & Cie Galerie, Brussel (Belgium)

2010

  • 'Fimbulvetr', with Harald Thys, Etablissement d'en Face Projects, Brussels (Belgium)

2009

  • 'Bonus malus', with Arnaud Hendrickx, Netwerk, Aalst (Belgium)

2008

  • EAC les Halles, Porrentruy (Switzerland)

2007

  • SECONDroom, Brussels (Belgium)

2006

  • Le Bonheur, Brussels (Belgium)

2003

  • NICC, Antwerp (Belgium)

2002

  • Archetype, Brussels (Belgium)

2000

  • Etablissement d'en Face Projects, Brussels (Belgium)

cv

Group Exhibitions (selection)

2011

'Melanchotopia', Witte de With, Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
'A Clock that Runs on Mud', Galeria Stereo, Poznan (Poland)
D.O.R. Gallery, Brussels (Belgium)

2010

'Public Private Paintings', Mu.zee, Ostend (Belgium)
'Art Basel/Liste', Elisa Platteau Galerie, Basel (Switzerland)
'Sovereign Art Prize', Barbican Centre, London (UK)
'Summer show', Elisa Platteau Galerie, Brussels (Belgium)
'Art Brussels', Brussels (Belgium)
'Eva Berendes / Michael Van den Abeele', Elisa Platteau Galerie, Brussels (Belgium)
'Chipka', Kunstcentrum Netwerk, Aalst (Belgium)

2009

'Después del Arte', Lugar, Centro de arte contemporàneo, Havana (Cuba)
'Opus –1', LLS 387, Antwerp (Belgium)
'Rencontres Internationales', experimental video-festival, Madrid (Spain)
'Isomosis', performance-festival, Etablissement d'en face, Brussels (Belgium)

2008

'Rencontres Internationales', experimental video-festival, Centre Pompidou, Paris (France)
'Curiosität', group exhibition, galerie Micheline Szwajcer (Belgium)
'Art is my playground', Kucuk Ciftlik Amusement Park, Istanbul (Turkey)
'Rencontres Internationales', Berlin (Germany)
'With Brussels from Love', Van Abbe Museum, Eindhoven (The Netherlands)
'It's not fait, le monde est arbitraire', Huis Van Winckel, Dendermonde (Belgium)
CAC, Museo de Arte Moderno Toluca (Mexico)
'Europa Vostra', gallery Trafu, Budapest (Hungary)
'Losing Control', de Garage, Mechelen (Belgium)

2007

'Project pour un Temple', Huy (Belgium)
'Rencontres Internationales', Centre Pompidou, Paris (France)
'18', l'Observatoire, Maison Gregoire, Brussels (Belgium)
'Vanaf nu!..', LLS 387,  Antwerp (Belgium)
'Breughel's View (part of Commitment)', bkSM, Mechelen (Belgium)
'GHB', Van Abbe museum, Eindhoven (The Netherlands)

2006

'Choose Choice' (with Jos deGruyter & Harald Thys), de Brakke Grond, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

2005

'Emergency Biennal', Matrix Art Projects, Brussels - Madrid - Grozny
'Ambassador', Public>, Paris (France)

2004

'Shoner Wohnen', New center for contemporay art Waregem (Belgium)
'Visa for 13', PS1, contemporary art center, New York (USA)
'Working ethics', Krinzinger Projecte, Vienna (Austria)

2003

'split  pick up', a group-project with A. Hendrickx, G. Lester, B. Rebetez & K. Dedecker, STUK, Leuven (Belgium)

2002

'Haunted house of Arts' Gallery Outline, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
'Paysage', Botanique, Brussels (Belgium)
'Paramount Basics' (extended), MuHKA, Antwerp (Belgium)

2001

'Flat Space', architecture & virtual space, de Witte Zaal, Ghent (Belgium)
'Parcours d'incidents', de Ateliers, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
'Prix du Jeune peinture Belge', Palais des Beaux Arts (BOZAR), Brussels (Belgium)

2000

'Orbis Terrarum', Plantyn-Moretus museum, Antwerp (Belgium)
'Bubbles', Center for Contemporary Non-Objective Art, Brussels (Belgium)
'3-ness', Museum Dhont-Daenens (MDD), Deurle (Belgium)
'SubRosa', Ateliers Iternationaux d'Alsace et de  Lorraine, Phalsbourg (France)

1999

'JARS 1', curated by Guilaume Bijl, Kunstcentrum-Sittard, Netherlands (The Netherlands)
'Young @ all.ages', Deweer Art gallery, Otegem (Belgium)
'Small Stuff' (organised by Hans Theys), Klagsbrun gallery, NY (USA)
'Small Stuff' (organised by Hans Theys), Herman Teirlinckhuis, Beersel (Belgium)

biblio

Van den Abeele Michaël, Boris Rebetez: Anticipation, Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Fink Verlag, CH, 2010
Van den Abeele Michaël, Commitments (on Geert De Mot), Bksm mechelen, 2009
Van den Abeele Michaël, State of Things Brussels/Beijing (on Jos Degruyter & Harald Thys), BOZARBooks & Lannoo, 2009
Van den Abeele Michaël, Jos Degruyter & Harald Thys, Culturgest, Lissabon, 2009
Chipka, Kunstcentrum Netwerk, Paul Lagrin, 2009
Losing Control, De Garage, Mechelen; exhibition catalogue, 2008
CAC, emerging forms of computer art; edited by Khaldoun Zreik and Everanrdo Reyes Garcia, Toluca & Mexico city, 2007
Pilot:3, Pilot London, Colin Guillemet, Dorianne Laithier, Rory Macbeth, www.pilotlondon.org, 2007
Commitment, bkSM CC Strombeek- de Garage Mechelen; exhb. catalogue for Geert De Mot: Breughel's View, 2007
Yang N°4 'Maximale vervangbaarheid' over het Interessante; portfolio of twelve drawings, 2006
Lucky Space, 15 ans de la collection I.D.E.A., Mons, Henri Bunameaux; catalogue of the collection, 2006
Bart de Baere & Henry Bounameaux; Contemporary art in Belgium 2005, 2005
Moritz Kung; Schoner Wohnen, exhb. cat. Be-Part, Waregem, 2004
Philippe Pirotte, Krinzinger Projecte, 'Working Ethics - from a certain Flanders', exh. cat. Krinzinger Projecte, Vienna, 2004
l'Art meme N°27, Cecilia Bezzan, Ambassador à Public (Paris), article, 2004
Flash Art N° 235, Belgian Focus, 2004
Michael Van den Abeele, Viva Romantica, exhb. cat. NICC Free space -KMSKA, Antwerp, 2003 
Prijs van de Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst 2001, exhb cat. Paleis voor Schone Kunsten (BOZAR), Brussels, 2001
Eva Gonzalez Sancho, Sub Rosa, exhb. cat. Niederbronn-les-bains, Phalsbourg, France, 2000
Edith Doove, 3ness, exhb. cat. Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, 2000
B-sites, over de plaats van een kunst- en onderzoekscentrum in Brussel, 2000
Moritz Kung, Orbis Terrarum, exhb.. cat. Museum Plantin-Moretus, Antwerp, 2000
Young@all.ages, exhb. cat. DeWeer Art galery, Otegem, 2000

2008

  • Platform Garanti, Istanbul (Turkije)

2003

  • P.S.1 International Studio Program, New York (NY) (USA)

2000

  • Ateliers Iternationaux d’Alsace et de Lorraine, s.l. (France)