Ontkoppelingen

Ontkoppelingen: no farewell without art

After nearly 32 years as director, Guy Uyttebroeck is saying goodbye to Destelheide and Hanenbos. A long career, a life’s work, and therefore the perfect moment to look back at the many artists and artworks that found their way to Destelheide over the years.

Curator Willem Elias initially wanted to portray Guy through art that says something about his personality, his sensitivities, his preferences and the way he looks at the world. But while putting the exhibition together, that idea gradually shifted. Because anyone wishing to capture who Guy is can hardly ignore what he made possible as a director: for many years, art was given a prominent place at Destelheide, often in the large entrance hall, where young people and other visitors encountered it almost naturally.

Willem Elias therefore made a selection of artists and works that were shown at Destelheide over the years. Not a complete overview and not a traditional retrospective, but an exhibition in which all kinds of threads, memories and associations intertwine.

There are flowers, because there is reason to celebrate. Mirrors invite self-reflection. A gate marks a beginning, a chest an ending. There are dreams, social criticism, attention for those who are left behind, feminist voices and references to the sea, a place that will become more prominent in Guy’s life after his farewell.

Alongside social criticism, dreams and reflection, there is also room for pure form and colour. Art that needs no lengthy explanation, but is simply powerfully present. No-nonsense — and according to Willem Elias, there is something of Guy in that too.

'Ontkoppelingen' does not aim to tell one definitive story. The exhibition is more like a labyrinth in which everyone can make their own connections, evoke memories and discover new meanings.

So look. But also feel, think, smell, talk and, above all, make it your own story.

EXPO Ontkoppelingen

Featuring work by Bram Bogart · Ulrike Bolenz · Lieve Bollaert · Isabel Bouttens · Sabien Clement · Peter de Cupere · Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker · Jan De Kinder · Steven Fillet · Libasse Ka · Stéphanie Leblon · Eva Lynen · Mr. Donka · Aaron-Victor Peeters · Joke Raes · Koen van den Broek · Jan Van Imschoot · Jan Van Oost · Roland Vandenberghe · Charlotte Vandenbroucke · Jonas Vanderbeke · Michaël Vandorpe · Alex Vanhee · Jos Verdegem · Colin Waeghe

Until 17 January 2027