Muller Van Severen 'Frames' fictional compositions of light and colour in Antwerp

Artist duo Muller Van Severen's first solo exhibition in Antwerp-based Tim Van Laere Gallery unfolds as one giant installation—a playground of form colour, light, reflection and transparency. Yet, every piece in this cohesive composition is a rarity. Titled Frames, the art exhibition stages the Belgium-based studio's striking body of work nestled on the intersection of sculptural art and functional objects. From October 10 - November 23, 2024, the vast space of the Tim Van Laere Gallery will be adorned with more than 30 works by the artists. They present a series of anomalous works for the first time in the ongoing show, delineating their pursuit of sculptural impact through minimal intervention.

Muller Van Severen was established by Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen as an artistic collaboration in 2011. Their objects and furniture embody a characteristic sculptural flair; the process of creation often takes into due consideration the surrounding space and its dynamics. Their sculptures, hence, present possibilities of form, space, use and their relationship—aiming to reimagine the interactions between users, objects and the environment.

For all pieces showcased in the exhibition space, a single plate becomes the duo's starting point. New openings and depths are introduced in the flat surface through cutting and folding, providing space for functions and intrigue in tandem. A sculpture that vacillates between abstraction and figuration is obtained from a simple plate with only a fundamental invasion of its form. "With Frames, Muller Van Severen creates a fictional world of images, in which alternative intrinsic meanings and possibilities are expressed, balancing between realism and surrealism,” the official release reads.

Muller Van Severen's furniture designs and objects draw inspiration from several architectural forms—evident in the geometric forms and silhouettes partaking in the show. A bold visual vocabulary, in terms of both colour and shape, fuels the pieces while functionality anchors the creative experiments. References to Kazimir Malevich's installation for The Last Futurist Exhibition of Painting 0.10 in 1915 and Suprematism can be noticed in works such as Frame 17 and Frame 20.

Through their creative interventions, Muller Van Severen constructed a model of curtailed use of form and colour. The artists aspire for these forms to become a part of the users' daily lives. They draw from the principles introduced into the art world by Austrian artist Franz West, who emphasised the participatory value of artwork and caused a radical revolution that deemed furniture as art. To the West, furniture pieces were "adaptive for the body at rest". Muller Van Severen, in line with these fundamentals, explores how furniture can shape lives and its impact on the space and the user. The sculpture artists interweave the conventions of art and design, in some ways, pushing the limits of both; the objects' abilities to enhance the dialogue between people, each other and the space remains at the centre of the oeuvre.

Muller Van Severen's 'Frames' is on view from October 10 - November 23, 2024, at the Tim Van Laere Gallery in Antwerp, Belgium.