Van Herreweghe's sun visors use the art of trompe l’oeil (French for “fool the eye”). Although flat, the images are printed with 'elevated printing' techniques where several layers of ink are placed on top of each other, creating a slight reliëf. In addition, various varnishes and finishes are used to enhance the illusion. A push pin shimmers the light differently than a ribbon, etc. All this trickery, in its full depth and plasticity, emphasises the tension between illusion and reality.

Is Egon a digital flâneur in a global landscape? Baudelaire identified the flâneur in his essay, The Painter of Modern Life (1863), as the dilettante observer (source, Tate Modern). The flâneur carried a set of rich associations: the man of leisure, the idler, the urban explorer, and the connoisseur of the street. Van Life is contagious, with no restrictions, intra-personal connotations, and an assembly of images with remarks on life, contributing to understanding our energy in curiously unique ways. The artist provokes new insights and processes to see what is within people and the fact of movement.

Egon Van Herreweghe - Van Life
December 10 - 18, 2022
Croxhapox - @allyouneedisthelavatory
Address: Roderoestraat 2, 9000 Ghent
Open: Fri, Sat and Sun from 14:00 to 18:00

Text 'The Microcosmos in Van Life' by Katerina Nikou, independant curator based in Antwerp, Los Angeles and Athens. Curatorial assistant of documenta 14.