2016
The attacks of 22 March 2016 destroyed part of the work of Benoît Van Innis. The artist proposed replacing the damaged fresco (located at the entrance on the Chaussée d’Etterbeek side) with a new work in honour of the victims, representing an olive tree. Symbolically imbued with a message of hope and peace, “L’Olivier” (The olive tree) was created using the same techniques: enamel paint applied with a brush on ceramic tiles, before being baked in a kiln to make the materials resistant. The work incorporates a poem by the Spanish writer Federico Garcia Lorca. It has been transcribed into French and Dutch on either side of the work. Translations into German, Spanish, English, Arabic, Russian and Chinese have also been added.
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BENOÎT (VAN INNIS) (Brugge, 1960)
As a visual artist, Benoît Van Innis began his artistic career at high school. He continued his studies at the Sint-Lucas school of arts in Ghent, in the studio of Dan Van Severen, where he achieved the highest distinction in 1984. In the 1990s, he drew cartoons for newspapers and magazines (The New Yorker, Esquire, Paris Match, Le Monde, De Standaard, Panorama, Knack, Le Vif, Lire, etc.). He has also published several albums: “Scrabbelen in de herfst”/”Rire en automne à Bruges” (1989), “Het Verboden Museum”/”Le Musée Interdit” (1990), “Mijn Oom Gilbert”/”Oncle Gilbert” (1995) and “Bravo ! Bravo !” (2000). Throughout his career, the artist has primarily exhibited in Belgium. Since the 2000s, he has received various commissions to incorporate works of art in public and private buildings. Benoît Van Innis works in close collaboration with internationally-renowned architects.
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