'I’m sort of a servant of beauty', says Jan Fabre, looking around the Ronchini Gallery in Mayfair. He’s taking in the selection of works that form his solo exhibition ‘Knight of the Night’ – works, he says with a wondrous expression, he hasn’t seen in about 20 years.
The Belgian artist is a multi-disciplinary thinker who chooses the most fitting medium for the idea he has in mind. The suits of armor and skulls made of thousands of iridescent wing-cases of scarab beetles; the taxidermied magpie and rusty keys that add weighty symbolism to them; the Lancelot performance in which he battles himself with pathos; the introspective diary entries that touch upon zealous knightly fantasies; and the Bic ballpoint pen drawings. All these are different guises of Fabre’s unrelenting probing of what he terms 'the body as object and subject'.
They are also worldly reminders of death. Strongly influenced by his great grandfather Jean-Henri Fabre, a 19th century entomologist, Fabre’s oeuvre is steeped in notions of the human and animal body, of death and metamorphosis. 'We have an internal skeleton, while the scarab’s skeleton is external,' he explains. 'Those works were about creating a new skin, a new armour, a kind of protection. My universe is devoid of cynicism,' he continues. 'It articulates hope and the defense of the vulnerable.'
Though Fabre insists he’s a provincial artist – 'I’m a dwarf in a land of giants,' he states with an apt sense of theatricality – his themes are universal. His hometown Antwerp’s great history of Flemish Masters, from which he proclaims to steal, is the foundation of an imagery that borrows precisely those memento mori elements that are intuitively understood.
’I’m sort of a servant of beauty’, says the artist – on show is a suit of armor and skulls made of thousands of iridescent wing-cases of scarab beetles. Pictured: Armour (Breast),
The exhibition also features a host of colourful Bic ballpoint pen drawings. Pictured left: Untitled, 1994. Right: Metamorphose, 1992.
Fabre hasn’t seen some of these works in around 20 years, he claims. Pictured left: Untitled–Self-Portrait, 1988. Right: Skull with Whip, 2013.
Though Fabre insists he’s a provincial artist, his themes are universal. His hometown Antwerp’s great history of Flemish Masters, from which he proclaims to steal, is the foundation of an imagery that borrows precisely those memento mori elements that are intuitively understood. Pictured left: The man who bears the cross, 2015. Courtesy Attilio Maranzano, Cathedral of Our Lady. Right: Jan Fabre, by Jeroen Mantel. Courtesy Angelos Bvba
INFORMATION
’Jan Fabre: Knight of the Night’ is on view until 19 March. For more information, visit the Ronchini Gallery’s website
Photography courtesy the artist and Ronchini Gallery
ADDRESS
Ronchini Gallery
22 Dering Street
London, W1S 1AN
-
The Eagle Lightweight GTR is a minimalist expression of racing car aestheticsEagle E-Types is renowned for its stewardship of Jaguar’s iconic 1960s sports car. With this one-off Lightweight GTR version, the company has pushed its ethos to the limit
-
These compact new lighting designs are perfect companions for darker eveningsWith our glowing recommendation, six cute and covetable new lighting designs to beat the winter blues
-
Reach for the Barcelona skyline from this horizon-busting hotelHotel Arts Barcelona gets a luminous new look from New York studio Meyer Davis
-
Zofia Rydet's 20-year task of photographing every household in Poland goes on show in LondonZofia Rydet took 20,000 images over 20 years for the mammoth sociological project
-
Joy Gregory subverts beauty standards with her new exhibition at Whitechapel GalleryUnrealistic beauty standards hide ugly realities in 'Joy Gregory: Catching Flies with Honey '
-
Bengi Ünsal steers London's ICA into an excitingly eclectic directionAs director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, Bengi Ünsal is leading the cultural space into a more ambitious, eclectic and interdisciplinary space
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekThe clocks have gone back in the UK and evenings are officially cloaked in darkness. Cue nights spent tucked away in London’s cosy corners – this week, the Wallpaper* team opted for a Latin-inspired listening bar, an underground arts space, and a brand new hotel in Shoreditch
-
Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the capital this week
-
Viewers are cast as voyeurs in Tai Shani’s crimson-hued London exhibitionBritish artist Tai Shani creates mystical other worlds through sculpture, performance and film. Step inside at Gathering
-
Who are the nine standout artists that shaped Frieze London 2025?Amid the hectic Frieze London schedule, many artists were showcasing extraordinary work this year. Here are our favourites
-
Doc’n Roll Festival returns with a new season of underground music filmsNow in its twelfth year, the grassroots festival continues to platform subcultural stories and independent filmmakers outside the mainstream
