These boots are made for walking (part two): Kelly Schacht collecting the alphabet at Meessen De Clercq (Brussels)

What is it with shoes and contemporary art these days? A while ago I spotted a pair of boots in an exhibition in Kortrijk, and now this pair, at Meessen De Clercq, Brussels. The boots belong to Belgian artist Kelly Schacht, who’s actually used them before, in an exhibition at KIOSK (Ghent, 2013). Back then they were worn by performers ‘activating’ the exhibition. Now they function as a reference to that previous exhibition, and as a reference to a fictional character and as an invitation – on that threshold between reality and fiction – to ‘step’ into Schacht’s universe. Collecting the Alphabet: the Prequel (through February 28) is the first of a series of exhibitions by this Belgian artist who was awarded the Young Belgian Art Prize (formerly: Young Belgian Painters Award) in 2011. It’s meant to be a search for an alphabet by an artist looking for (abstract) ways to speak and communicate, and thus a show of a puzzling kind. Curious? Installation views after the jump.

 

 

 

 

More info & installation views here.