Axel Vervoordt Gallery to participate in the fifth edition of West Bund Art & Design

SHANGHAI,Nov. 5,2018 -- Axel Vervoordt Gallery is pleased to participate in the fifth edition of West Bund Art & Design,which takes place in Shanghai from November 8-11,2018. This year marks the gallery's inaugural participation and we're particularly excited about participating in an event that symbolises the city's burgeoning reputation as a hub for cultural and regional development.

Bosco Sodi,2017 Untitled,Mixed media on linen 73 cm x 92 cm

Axel Vervoordt Gallery's presentation at West Bund juxtaposes works by internationally recognised artists,includingJef Verheyen,El Anatsui,Kimsooja,Bosco Sodi,Angel Vergara,Michel Mouffe,Otto Boll,andRyuji Tanaka.The installation represents a key theme evident throughout our gallery's history: an ongoing search for beauty,harmony,and socially engaged artworks with historical relevance that are not limited to specific geographies or time periods.

Jef Verheyen (Itegem,Belgium 1932- Apt,France 1984). Verheyen's works represent a continuum of research and exploration of light and colour. This artistic practice led him to create paintings that seem to reach toward infinity thanks to the precise arrangement of subtle hues and gradients. His translucent works have an embedded sense of temporality. Verheyen was closely involved with the ZERO movement,presenting work in almost all their exhibitions.

El Anatsui (Anyako,Ghana 1944). Anatsui's hybrid work blends the genre borders between sculpture and painting. His tapestry-like installations are made from found and recycled objects that symbolise the process of transforming everyday materials into a work of art by charging them with cultural,historical,and philosophical meaning. His work encourages global audiences to reflect on the past,while simultaneously confronting a concept of the future and how we use natural materials.

Kimsooja (Daegu,Korea 1957). Conceptual and multidisciplinary artist Kimsooja was born in Daegu,a city known for the strength of its textile industry. Kimsooja received acclaim for works and performances related to the process of sewing and weaving,investigating the many layers of cultural and historical relevance related to the act. In the gallery's booth the artist presents a "The Needle Woman",Paris from 2009.

Bosco Sodi (Mexico City,Messico 1970). Sodi is well-known for his monumental,richly textured and vividly coloured canvases composed of organic pigments. Focusing on material exploration,the creative gesture,and the spiritual connection between the artist and his work,Sodi seeks to transcend conceptual barriers. His influences range from Antoni Tapies and Jean Dubuffet,to master colourists such as Willem de Kooning,Mark Rothko.

Angel Vergara (Mieres,Spain 1958). Vergara's work appears in myriad forms-- ranging from performance and videos,to installations and paintings. Through his diverse body of works,he questions the way images shape our reality,researching the power of the moving image.

Michel Mouffe (Brussels,Belgium 1957). Mouffe's work plays on the properties of colour and forms by creating lines and bumps that function as the roads leading to unknown surfaces. He invites viewers to engage in a back and forth dialogue between reflection and absorption. An exhibition of the artist's work is currently on view in our Hong Kong location through March 16,2019.

Ryuji Tanaka (Hyogo,Japan 1927 - 2014). Tanaka's abstract-based art revolutionised traditional Japanese painting,known as nihon-ga. He accomplished this by employing material in completely original ways and adopting an emblematic use of colour. Tanaka chose to work with materials such as mineral pigments,powders,stones,paper,Sumi ink,and silk and allow the material to explore its own limits,rather than a language he imposed. He was a member of the Gutai Art Association,joining the group for a short period in 1965.

Otto Boll (Issum,Geldern,Germany 1952). Boll's minimalist steel floating installations are like immaterial lines drawn in space. Drawing out the inherent beauty of the void,he creates sculptural experiences that destabilise the spectators' position and challenge them to experience their surroundings in a totally new way.

For press information contact:

Anne-Sophie Dusselier

+32-(0)-3-680-14-89

Mobile: +32-(0)-476-230989

asd@axel-vervoordt.com

Photo - /20181102/2288085-1