22 Sep 2020

Francis Schmetz '...take the dust out of my mouth...' at IKOB - Museum of Contemporary Art

Francis Schmetz is a border crosser. And a subtle one at that, because his medium is initially language. As an East Belgian, he of course feels quite at home in two linguistic spheres: the German language, which he acquired at home; and the French language, which he learned at school. Again and again, the two languages encounter each other in the form of poetical overlappings in drawings and titles as well as in the writings and notes which serve him as just as important a source for his works as are his sketchbooks. Whereas his subtle and delicate drawings, prints and collages are sufficiently well-known in Belgium, the films have been screened here only infrequently. The exhibition at the IKOB endeavours for the first time ever to bring both groups of work into dialogue with each other. For the upcoming exhibition, Francis Schmetz is developing a storyline which he intends to present to the public on a date still to be determined.