Le Palais Idéal

Oct 1

Transforming the Ordinary

Alice Vanderschoot’s first solo exhibition at BARBÉ Gallery, ‘Le Palais Idéal’, is an exploration of the symbolic and aesthetic potential of everyday objects. Alice Vanderschoot (born 1989, lives and works in Bruges) created a unique visual language influenced by surrealism and pop art. Seemingly ordinary objects from her immediate work environment are transformed into surreal sculptures. She plays with scale, color, mythology and symbolism questioning the authenticity, meaning, and origin of everyday objects.

‘Le Palais Idéal’ is a tribute to the infamous architectural monument of naive art in France, created by Facteur Cheval. His visionary creation merges diverse cultural influences and architectural styles from around the world with an extraordinary array of creatures - from octopus to elephants to mythological beings. Vanderschoot’s exhibition entrance, featuring a powder-coated steel installation, offers her interpretation of walking through the ornate, richly decorated corridors of the Palais Idéal. Visitors are immediately transported into a fantastical world, bridging the iconic French monument and this exhibition.

Vanderschoot’s work, often in soft pastel tones with a cartoonish flair, showcase the everyday tools she uses as a sculptor. By playfully altering scale and context, she transforms these familiar objects, infusing them with an unexpected sense of strangeness. Her consistent use of acrylic resin, oil and enamel paint adds a cohesive uniformity to the pieces, while the integration of scaffolding and structural elements introduces an almost architectural layer to her sculptures.

She delves into historical motifs and rituals, reinterpreting them through her work in a contemporary context. Her sculptural wall pieces feature gesticulating gloves, reminiscent of votive offerings, while Swiss army knives, engraved with references to the senses, mark the (passage of) time. One of the standout pieces is the self-portrait ‘Cocoon’, a striking depiction of her work attire—a pair of overalls—standing upright as if worn, yet with no human figure present. Despite the absence of a figure, the work captures the essence of a classical Greek sculpture.

‘Le Palais Idéal’ showcases Alice Vanderschoot's unique ability to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary, merging a seemingly playful visual language with an unexpected depth. Her use of everyday objects as sculptural symbols, combined with references to historical and mythological themes, invites viewers to explore the boundaries between the familiar and the surreal. Through her work, Vanderschoot not only pays homage to (artistic) traditions but also redefines them, leaving visitors with a lasting impression of curiosity and intrigue.