In Limbo

In Limbo is Stefaan De Croock’s first solo exhibition at the Nosbaum Reding gallery in Brussels. It is an ode to stillness and wonder, an expanded present where attitude, aesthetics and material are uniquely intertwined.

The wooden portraits show themselves somewhere in between, both as material objects and as figurative portraits. Through their refined posture, they appear to be ensnared in a remote realm of time. The layered patina reveals a singular life history, a condition that we humans also share, each in our own way. Through these portraits, we see ourselves as frozen in time, as hesitant and waiting fragile beings, captured during an unguarded moment.

As contemporary humans, we often prefer to avoid embracing such moments in between, frequently escaping them visually and virtually. 

Gelassenheit, as the German philosopher Martin Heidegger called it, is the kind of waiting where we allow ‘being’ to appear as it is, without fleeing or resisting. It is a receptive and open attitude arising from calmness and tranquility. Such moments of interim offer potential for reflection, for seeing and thinking differently, for seeking deeper meaning.

Furthermore, time appears in a different way in the exhibited works through the charged symbolism of the materials used. Marble exudes profound strength, reflecting its geological evolution spanning hundreds of millions of years. As observers of these works, we travel back in time. Upon closer inspection, one sees the phenomenal network of veins formed during that astronomically long period. This brings us as humans back to our measure within the universe.

The contrast between the soft, intricately crafted postures of the portraits and the symbolic strength of the material creates subtle tension for the observer who’s constantly trying to reposition themselves. Time as the engine for aesthetically layered works of art.

With his collection of portraits, Stefaan De Croock prompts us to contemplate our human insignificance. Moreover, they invite us to acknowledge and accept this. The artist feels privileged, humble and respectful to work with such material, acting as a handler of time.

The landscapes evoke a mood, a window onto empty time where ever-shifting memories and emotions can exist, a dwelling in limbo for crystallized moments, between the real and imaginary worlds.

By directing our attention to the many facets of time, Stefaan De Croock makes the ineffable visible. It is up to the observer to recognize themselves in that unutterable and to accept that waiting softens and can also occur without expecting.