In 2005 I saw a retrospective of Berlinde de Bruyckere at museum De Pont in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Her work made a big impression on me. It is very rare for an artist today to develop an almost unique visual language. I was delighted to see some of her recent work, also at Museum De Pont, as part of an exhibition curated by De Bruyckere of her own work and that of fellow Belgian artist Philippe Vandenberg.
Berlinde de Bruyckere's recent sculptures are as powerful as her work from a few years back and I can't wait to see another large scale retrospective of her work. A new element in her work are the antlers, which she lays on top of a headless human body or stacks into a pile. The exhibition also contains numerous drawings, they look as fragile as her sculptures, but it is in her sculptures that Berlinde de Bruyckere really shines.
Unfortunately, I've got little to say about the work of Philippe Vandenberg. His word drawings are too reminiscent of Bruce Nauman and while I liked the abstract paintings included in the show they are outshone by the work of Gerhard Richter.