Wim Delvoye is a neo-conceptual artist that is well known for his innovative and sometimes out-of-the-box projects. He connects the attractive and the repulsive effortlessly, creating works that are inherent contradictions. When you see his pieces for the first time, you almost feel repulsed, then seduced, and finally held in awe of his craftsmanship and aesthetic.
Some of his prominent works
His work is indiscriminate, as was the case with Cloaca. He dares to challenge the art industry and the inconsequence of contemporary art production, questioning the commoditization of contemporary work where the value of the art is more important than what it represents. At the Louvre Museum, one of his gothic works juxtaposed carpeted pigs that had been taxidermied with grand crystal chandeliers in Napoleon III’s apartment. In another piece, he placed a colossal 11-meter phallic globe that looks like a corkscrew suppository right beneath the museum’s glass pyramid.
What makes his work stand out?
There is no doubt that Delvoye thrives in challenging audiences to be more open-minded by making them feel perturbed and on edge. His non-conformist style and showmanship set him apart from other artists as he dares to alter people’s ideas of beauty where he continually associates the repulsive with the attractive. Even though his gothic works have stirred many controversies, it is evident that he makes every effort possible to ensure that every element is as he needs it to be.
Analysis
His gothic works show off his extensive artisanal skills such as embossing, steelwork, weaving, tattooing and glassmaking. His ornate steel and stainless steel gothic cathedral trucks showcase a level of skill and craftsmanship that can only be described as ‘so Delvoye.’ The scale models of the cathedral trucks created using the architecture and the visual quality of the gothic era marry so well to create a contrast between gothic craftsmanship and the machine-based exterior of the vehicles.
Conclusion
The amount of detail featured in the models is astounding, and more importantly, it challenges the viewer’s perception of things. The more daring thinker ought to appreciate his talent for connecting two seemingly impossibly incompatible styles to produce masterful works of art.
Sculptures
Trucks
Wim Delvoye – D11, 2008, laser-cut Corten steel, 117 x 127 x 270 cm, Installation view, Rodolphe Janssen, Brussels, Belgium, 2008Wim Delvoye – Concrete Mixer, 2007, laser-cut stainless steelWim Delvoye – Dump Truck, 2013, Laser-cut Corten steel, 360 x 170 x 574 cmWim Delvoye – Dump Truck, laser cut, Corten SteelWim Delvoye – Twisted Dump Truck (Clockwise), 2013, Nickeled bronze, 200 x 83 x 95 cmWim Delvoye – Twisted Dump Truck Clockwise, 2011, nickeled laser-cut stainless steel, 200 x 80 x 78 cm
Buildings
Wim Delvoye – Pergola, 2011, laser-cut stainless steel, 72 x 82 x 44 cm
Tires
Wim Delvoye – Installation view, MUDAM, 2016, LuxembourgWim Delvoye – Untitled (Car Tyre), 2013, hand carved car tyre, 148 x 60 cm
All images by Studio Wim Delvoye unless otherwise noted.
