M HKA Ensembles

Multiple, 180 x 160 cm.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. BK7522_M361).

Gert Robijns’s replicas took shape as part of his intervention in the 2002–2003 presentation of the M HKA collection. They are reproductions of a table with drop-shaped lenses by Hermann Pitz, a triptych by Ettore Spalletti and a painting by Bernard Frize. These works from the M HKA collection were replicated in a different material, in grey tones and at full size. In this way Robijns eliminates an essential element of the original. The works retain their presence but are stripped of their essence. The artist hereby creates an analogous reality, with minor but crucial differences from ‘real’ reality. Leaving out the colour makes a different perception possible, and another dimension comes to the fore. The accent shifts to other elements such as the fact that things are objects. With these replicas Robijns is responding to the way we look at art collections and art in general. He forces the viewer to look at the physical context in a different way, in this case the museum. He also wants to demystify artisthood and deprive the artist of his celebrity status.