M HKA Ensembles

Installation, 360 x 240 cm, 180 x 180 cm.

Collection: Courtesy of the artist.

Paul Hendrikse’s research-based practice considers under-recognised figures from art, literature and politics who have in different ways made significant or ambiguous contributions to society. In his long-term project The Ideal Form, which consists of a performance, publication, an inquiry, sculpture and video and slide works, Hendrikse has looked at the legacy of Lode Craeybeckx, a former mayor of Antwerp, who from 1947 until his death in 1976, oversaw the city’s rapid post-war era expansion. The artist has looked at different aspects of Craeybeckx’s vision, and especially to where form and ideology collide. He produced several clay and concrete models that are shown on a special display unit; something between a table and a dysfunctional tilted stage. The elements on display are replica’s from fragments of objects found in the city that are connected to the legacy of Craeybeckx. Waterdrops that are slowly dripping from the ceiling onto the objects causes their painted colour to run down the unit and change its appearance during the course of the exhibition, reflecting natural changes and convergences that happen beyond planning.