HU! Gallery in Brussels is currently showing US vs Us, a group exhibition featuring eight artists. The gallery states:

“All commentators agree on this point: this end of the US presidential campaign seems more than ever to leave American society in pieces. Divided, polarized, fractured, it is gradually tipping towards a disunited States of America.

In our European rearview mirrors, the savior America of 80 years ago (in any case, a significant portion of what it is made up of) is now offering us a frontal somersault into ideas, fears, and beliefs that are dangerously similar to those from which they freed us. In this logic, the Made in USA model that has continued to influence us is now questioning our own trajectory and the extremist thrusts that threaten us.

The political, military, and economic future that the Americans are aiming for also confronts us with the urgent need to free ourselves from it. In the uncertainty of the electoral outcome, eight artists have agreed to present work linked to the United States of yesterday or today, questioning in order and especially in disorder, its complex iconography where (geo)politics, religions, violence, conspiracy theories are mixed, all mixed with references to local pop culture.”

In this interview, curator Frédéric Biesmans and participating artist Cathy Coëz further discuss the show's themes and highlight works from each artist.

Interview by Tyler Nesler

This exhibit is a very direct commentary on what has become the “disunited States of America” and the irony that the US now embodies the kind of tyranny that the US helped to liberate Europe from 80 years ago.

What conceptual elements were you primarily looking for with the artworks? There seems to be a lot of ironic humor and playfulness in many of the works – do you think it was important for there to be some levity in the pieces, considering the seriousness of the show’s themes?

Fred Biesmans: HU! Gallery is a Brussels-based gallery dedicated to the exhibition and sale of experimental artworks, including various art forms from sculpture and painting to conceptual installations and performances. Each exhibition project, whether exploring an explicit or implicit theme, thoughtfully combines the work of guest artists to provide visitors with a unique journey through the presented pieces.

The exhibition US vs Us revolved around the concept of timing, originating from the innovative approach of using a sports car adorned with stickers that reflect pivotal moments in American politics.

The artists, through their diverse research, enrich this multifaceted exploration of the United States, highlighting striking contrasts. The exhibition strives to maintain a fragile balance between installations that may appear playful yet often displaying a darker, somber side.

This show has eight artists. What was the selection process like? Are any of the artists American?

Fred Biesmans: This theme inevitably influenced our selection of artists and the overall perception of the exhibition. We aimed for a light-hearted and pop-inspired atmosphere, while remaining deeply connected to the specific realities of American life.

Among the featured artists, American citizen Jofroi Amaral, a Boston native whose work—whether through object-based painting or sculpture—strongly interlaces with the fabric of American culture.

Can you highlight at least one piece from each of the artists in this exhibit (along with your own) and how that work exemplifies the show’s themes?

Frédéric Biesmans

A life-size cardboard car covered with stickers illustrating marking "events" related to American politics since 2017 constitutes a time capsule, revealing its multi-faced perceptions through its journey to the Future.

Jofroi Amaral

For this exhibition, Jofroi Amaral presents "a painting to the object" technique - weaving a metaphysical link between a painting and an American football helmet.

[Amaral also] displays a fixie, a bike typical of New York made with the most advanced techniques in this field and engraved with tattoos of sailors shuttling between the USA and Europe.

Juan d’Oultremont

A multi-disciplinary artist, Juan unveils here a work related to one of his many collections, namely sculptures illustrating ancient clubs of prehistoric men straight out of advertising illustrations, postcards or even business cards. Other sculptures depict enlarged parts of plastic figurines inspired by the world of the Western.

Lab(AU)

A collective of artists associated with the conceptual movement, Lab(AU) has produced a color file whose names associate shapes and anagrams which in the end is presented in the form of paintings – impressions, in an approach that is both technical and visual.

Charlyne Misplon

Specializing in stage costumes, Charlyne Misplon gives us her vision of the USA in the form of a disjointed flag in the process of deconstruction.

François Curlet

The sculpture “Kim pie” is a collaboration between François Curlet and Frédéric Biesmans - a conceptual artist and a visual artist united in the creation of a ceramic atomic pie drawing inspiration from the tensions between North Korea and the USA.

Christophe Terlinden

Christophe Terlinden's depiction of a flower — a misshapen star on an old ceramic cup — inspired Christophe Terlinden to reproduce as many as the number of states that make up the United States.

Done in watercolor, each with its own color, his work brings forward a poetic and geographical perspective of America.

Cathy Coëz also has work in the exhibit titled “175 Deaths,” with arranged pieces made of thrown stoneware, spray paint/gold/palladium/copper leaf, all created from 2014 – 2024.

What was the evolution of these works? Did you ever anticipate showing them together as one display? What is the significance of these pieces now in relation to the show’s themes?

Cathy Coëz: I created four series of a hundred pieces each, resulting in a total of four hundred ammunitions. These were produced in 2014 and 2015.

When Galerie Hu invited me to participate in their exhibition, I proposed adapting this body of work to the largest plinth in the show. The number “175” in the title signifies the number of ammunitions featured.

I saw this as an opportunity to reorganize my series with new proportions. This explains the dates: I believe that the context is an integral part of the work because it allows for ever-changing relationships between the artwork and the viewer.

Collectively, these ammunitions serve as a potent symbol of the constant violence that exists in the world, particularly that perpetrated by the United States, which is arguably the most brutal nation on Earth. Therefore, my response can be seen as a synthesis of these ideas.

US vs Us is on display through February 6 at HU! Gallery, Brussels, Belgium - Ch. de Vleurgat 124 - 1050 Bruxelles - +32 498 15 20 55, hu.galerie@gmail.com

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