Anaïs Crahay
Elegantie als interioriteit

As an intervention in the solo exhibition Abstract Entities by Thomas Hitchcock, a one-off artistic event will take place on March 2, 2025 in KIOSK where there will be a cross-pollination between music, installation and sculptural art and painting. This event will take place continuously on Sunday March 2 from 3 pm in KIOSK in Ghent; Louis Pasteurlaan 2; and will end around 5 pm. For 2 hours, paintings by Anaïs Crahay will be shown that are part of her master's research in the Fine Arts 'Painting' with the theme Elegance as feminine interiority. A complementary text Elegance, or what happens between the folds by Vlad Ionescu will be available next to the paintings. This text is part of an (as yet unpublished) essay in which he discusses his research into aesthetics, elegance and beauty. In addition to the paintings and text that can be viewed visually, four musicians will be present: Cath Stynen (vocals), Sander Celis (vocals), Liesel Frans (violin), and Lander Frans (guitar). This musical talent will provide the visual works with live music throughout the entire event, both with and without singing, in the atmosphere of melancholy, crawling into one's own world, elegance and at the same time a distance, intrigue... The installation and sculptures of the Viennese visual artist Thomas Hitchcock will of course also be on display. In short, it makes the viewer think.

About Anaïs Crahay

What is the co-relation between the concept of elegance and the display of women in painting? In the artistic research that Anaïs Crahay conducts, the aesthetic category of "elegance" is central and this concept, with all its facets, is examined in the display of women in painting. Elegance is a minor aesthetic category that is attributed to objects, environments and people. Initially, the research originated from a passion for painting, where the beauty of women is presented in a symbolic way so that she is more than just an object of male desire. Within symbolism, she becomes a phantasmatic image with a complex meaning and above all a deep inner life. The latter is linked to poetry, fashion and the French culture of beauty and elegance. Based on a literature study, the definition of elegance in all its aspects is explored in more depth, which is expressed in practice through artistic research.

Abstract Entities

Abstract Entities, Thomas Hitchcock's first institutional solo exhibition in Belgium, delves into the intersections of Art Nouveau and Europe’s fin de siècle cultural period and contemporary technological developments. Situated within the context of today’s global capitalism and digital shifts, he critically examines and juxtaposes themes of exploitation within a broader movement of retreating into interiority and dream-like realms.

Hitchcock’s newly created sculptural installation, within KIOSK’s former anatomical theater, also functions as an open platform for temporary interventions by Belgian art students. A multitude of different interventions across several media will take place throughout the exhibition period, including performances, music, collective readings, talks, workshops, discussions, body practices, poetry, and screenings – starting with the first contributions during the opening.

Practical information about the exhibition

• Opening on Saturday the 25th of January 2025, between 3 and 6 p.m.
• Open daily between 12.00 and 6.00 p.m.
• Open until 16.03.2025
  
• Free entrance
• Louis Pasteurlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium

This exhibition was produced in collaboration with Phileas - The Austrian Office for Contemporary Art, and with the support of the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKOES) of Austria.