Thomas Lerooy – Remain, 2017 – bronze, marble, 51x42x41 cm
Thomas Lerooy his school notes always turned into doodles and drawings. At the beginning of the year, he was warned to keep his atlas spotless, but by the end of the year, it was covered in drawings. It’s all for the better this man found his way in a unique art practice which involves drawing, sculpture and installations.
Lerooy is born in Roeselare, Belgium (°1981) and now lives and works in Brussels.
Thomas Lerooy – With in, 2017, mixed media, 196×140 cm (background) and Phoenix, 2017, mixed media, 37×46 cm
The fleeting power of time is ever present in his work. Walking through his current solo exhibition Playground is like being in an arty roller coaster. Each work seems to come from a totally different reality with its own rules and historical references.
Thomas Lerooy – Playing with fire, 2017 – mixed media, 196×140 cm
His drawings are made on found paper collaged together for the bigger works. In his words: “When I started drawing, I was terrified of the blank page. Every line you draw has a story. I didn’t want that. At a certain point, I started collecting old catalogues, cutting out and making collages of all the yellowed and thumb-marked paper. I find that I can draw on those pages because I’m drawing on someone else’s story. That involves the idea of layers, and that is my true starting point.”
Thomas Lerooy – Playground, 2017, bronze and concrete, 3900×2428 cm (detail)
Thomas Lerooy – Can’t fly, 2016, bronze, patina and silver, diam. 25 cm
Thomas Lerooy – Not enough brains to survive, 2009, bronze, 138x120x120 cm
Thomas Lerooy – Beauty in the shadow of the stars, 2015, bronze, patina, 100x400x300 cm
Thomas Lerooy, exhibition view of Playground, 2017
In his current solo exhibition Playground he interpreted the museum space as his play pen in which he built ‘play blocks’ in primary colours to form a labyrinth. So fun to discover!
His whimsical yet dark Playground can be discovered at Museum Dhondt Dhaenens, Belgium till 4 Mar 2018.
A studio visit can be found here and more of his works here.
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