Edition 2011

The relationship between image and language—written, spoken, and visual—is central to the work of David Catherall. His collections of silk screen prints, drawings, gouaches, texts, photographs, offset prints, and books are often inspired by the language of historical design styles. The artist focuses on the intersections between authorship and readership, often resulting in installations that present a contradictory view of modernism. What especially fascinates Catherall is the unique, unbalanced relationship between industrialization, commerce, and trade versus ornamentation and aesthetics, and the disrupted balance between work and leisure, both in public and private life.

David Catherall lives and works in Brussels and Frankfurt am Main.He graduated in 2009 from the Städelschule für Bildende Künste in Frankfurt am Main under Professor Mark Leckey. A year later, he was an artist-in-residence at Wiels in Brussels and was invited as a DIVA Danish International Visiting Artist by the Danish Arts Council in Copenhagen.

The paintings of Michiel Ceulers are in-depth studies of painting as a medium. In his work, the artist indulges in the pleasure of freely exploring the many possibilities hidden within the traditions of painting—and occasionally sculpture. Seemingly unburdened, yet also precarious. Messy, deliberately anti-aesthetic, and at times even trashy. His highly personal, material-oriented approach is entirely intuitive and heavily relies on chance. Ceulers creates visually very diverse paintings, ranging from striking psychedelic zebra patterns to colorful abstract planes.

Michiel Ceulers lives and works in Ghent and Berlin. He graduated from the Rijksakademie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam in 2011 and has exhibited at, among others, the Bonnefantenmuseum in Roermond (2013), the GeM – Museum for Contemporary Art in The Hague (2013), and the Kunstmuseum in Stuttgart (2012).

Hou’s work centers on the act of reading. Various forms of narrativity form the core of the research he conducts through his practice. Hou has not only investigated storytelling, reading, and being read, but has also sought to bring these elements back to their origins and create a relationship and dialogue—based on image and sound—between reader, author, narrator, and story. For the Young Belgian Painting Prize, Hou presented a series of video/film projects reflecting on current socio-cultural issues.

Hou Chien Cheng lives and works in Berlin. In 2009, he obtained his Master’s degree in Fine Arts at KASK in Ghent. Since then, Hou has exhibited and participated in residency programs across and beyond Europe.

The work of artist and architect Pieterjan Ginckels transcends all boundaries a medium might impose and systematically operates on a physically tangible level of communication. Ginckels belongs to the first generation of artists for whom the technological tools of our time seem entirely self-evident-resources not approached with caution, but fully mastered and applied as part of the socialization process. Ginckels’ projects use, blend, and refine media, fueled by his tendency to bring art closer to its popular representations. The starting point for 1000 Beats, for example, was his desire to connect the world of art with that of popular music, transferring its modus operandi—the organization by labels, live performances, the passion of fans and the bonds it creates, and global exchange—into the realm of visual arts. The boundaries between performance, installation, and conceptual art are blurred to translate an artistic idea into an environment that can actually be experienced.

Pieterjan Ginckels lives and works in Brussels. He studied architecture at K.U. Leuven, Sint-Lucas Brussels, and the University of Stuttgart. Today, he is a professor of Visual Literacy and Provocative Practices at the Faculty of Architecture at K.U. Leuven in Brussels. Ginckels is also the founder of the magazine MISANTHROPOZINE and the research collective Post-Office.

Manor Grunewald’s path to paper and canvas runs through painting and drawing-through the act itself, rather than a technical approach. His paintings and drawings are rooted in his earlier creative work as a graffiti artist. Today, more than ever, he is searching for new ways to challenge and transcend the traditional limitations of the canvas. He aims to break free from the rules and structures inherent to his medium. Grunewald draws inspiration from existing visual materials such as newspaper articles, comic books, and illustrated encyclopedias. Image Storage, the work he created for the Young Belgian Painting Prize, consists of pieces of various sizes and images—abstract or figurative—that overlap in such a way that each element remains sufficiently visible to achieve the desired compositional result. They merge into a unified whole, even though each individual work can function autonomously. The installation is a response to our current society and the fragmentation of our time. The hectic pace of life today leads to a severe scattering of our attention.

Manor Grunewald is a self-taught artist who lives and works in Ghent. He has exhibited at the Institut Français München (2022), De Garage Mechelen (2017), and the Frans Masereel Centrum (2015), among others.

Paul Hendrikse builds upon existing cultural and artistic heritage. His work often emerges from a fascination with a person who occupies a speculative or ‘overdetermined’ place in history. This figure is used as a guide, prompting Hendrikse to undertake a journey or actively seek out an experience. In his work, he explores the intersections between history, biography, and fiction. His projects often include performative or performance elements and are usually the result of extensive research and intense artistic collaborations with writers, actors, and philosophers, among others. For the Young Belgian Painting Prize, Hendrikse adapted a series of works he originally created in 2009/2010, based on the complex and intriguing life and work of the South African poet Ingrid Jonker.

Paul Hendrikse lives and works in Antwerp and Berlin. He studied at the art academy in ’s-Hertogenbosch and the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, and he was also an artist-in-residence at WIELS in Brussels. In recent years, his work has been shown at NICC Antwerp, Künstlerverein Malkasten Düsseldorf, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, the Middelheim Museum in Antwerp, and Blank in Torino.

In an era where concepts such as ‘new’ and ‘unique’ have become highly relative, multimedia artist Kelly Schacht plays with notions of authorship and originality in her work. Moments and objects from the past are commemorated, giving rise to new aesthetic experiences. Kelly Schacht claims a generous form of freedom in her practice by working intensively with artists, actors, designers, and her audience. In doing so, the artist becomes a “catalyst” for numerous interpretations and personal experiences, which in turn are given a future of their own.

Kelly Schacht lives and works in Ghent. She studied at KASK in Ghent. Her work has been shown at MuZEE in Ostend (2017), De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam (2015), WIELS in Brussels (2014), De Vleeshal in Middelburg (2011), Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in Deurle (2008), and BOZAR in Brussels (2007). Her work is represented in both public and private international collections.

The multidisciplinary oeuvre of Joris Van de Moortel crosses boundaries and challenges conventions. Like a modern alchemist, he experiments with materials and ideas, navigating his way through the chaos of a rapidly changing world. At the same time, he remains true to the essence of art, knowledge, and imagination. In his musical performances, sculptures, paintings, films, and tarot cards, you will find an abundance of puzzles, wordplays, and art historical references. Through his chaotic aesthetic, he seeks to articulate the complex relationships between nature, culture, art, religion, and contemporary society.

Joris Van de Moortel lives and works in Antwerp. He graduated from Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin in 2013 and from the Higher Institute for Fine Arts (HISK) in Ghent in 2009. He has held solo exhibitions at S.M.A.K. in Ghent (2024), De Warande in Turnhout (2024), BOZAR in Brussels (2018), and the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta (2016). In 2019, Van de Moortel received the Grand Jury Prize for his participation in the 13th International Art Biennale in Cairo, and in 2021 he won the Prix de la Monnaie de Paris.

Over a period of two years, Cédric Van Turtelboom made several trips to Romania. During his travels, he formed friendships with certain individuals, which allowed him to photograph them more easily and often in a certain intimacy. He stayed in their homes and shared in their daily lives. Van Turtelboom enjoys making photographs that are unconventional, ironic-‘cynical’, some might say. In his work, which is both documentary and personal, and in his depiction of a somber universe not devoid of humor, the artist has created a visual observation of a country that—caught between the communist system it emerged from and the capitalism it is attempting to embrace—is still searching for its points of reference.

Cédric Van Turtelboom lives and works in Beijing, China. He graduated from the Ecole Supérieure des Arts de l’Image Le 75. His work has been exhibited at Contretype in Brussels (2016) and De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam (2015), among others.

Freek Wambacq’s work explores the connections between sculpture, installation, and architecture. He often draws inspiration from chance encounters and unpredictable discoveries. His highly diverse objects, sometimes deceptively simple, conceal a rich range of interpretations. Beneath his works lies a tangle of stories, sociological commentary, and continuous references to architecture and art history, adding an extra dimension to their intrinsic aesthetic qualities. Wambacq’s creations are both conceptual and material, bridging the world of art and the world at large.

The project Le monde à l’envers, which he submitted for the Young Belgian Art Prize, involves research into the history of printmaking. The title is drawn from the historical context of the Images d’Épinal.

Freek Wambacq lives and works in Brussels and Berlin. His work has been exhibited at Witte de With in Rotterdam (2014), Bregenzer Kunstverein (2014), M HKA in Antwerp (2012), Museum M in Leuven (2011), Künstlerhaus Bethanien (2011), and Casino Luxembourg (2011).