Atelier les Deux Garçons “The Confused Clarity”

LKFF Art Projects is proud to present the very latest creations of Atelier les Deux Garçons, the Dutch artist duo recognised for their thought-provoking taxidermy and mixed media creations. Mostly known for their signature assemblages – combining taxidermy with old porcelain figures or with toys – the exhibition will showcase a new body of artwork that amalgamates the natural world with classic bronze sculptures.

The exhibition is a reflection and extension on their recent public art commission comprising three monumental figures, standing +/- 4 meters tall, set to be installed mid December in front of the Kunst Academie in Maastricht for its 200 year anniversary. Titled « Les Bourgeois de Maastricht », this art installation pays homage to Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece « Les Bourgeois de Calais ». The figures have puzzled elements from the classical era with the contemporary world, blurring the lines between the two. Atelier les Deux Garçons ponder the fundamental question: «Who am I, and who am I allowed to be?» Bridging ancient art with the intricacies of the 21st century, the «collaged» figures present as gender-neutral, inviting spectators to question their perceptions of identity and, in doing so, aim to represent diversity and tolerance.

Michel Vanderheijden van Tinteren (born in 1965) and Roel Moonen (born in 1966) crossed paths during their formative years at the Academy of Visual Arts in Maastricht, bonding over their shared passion for plastic design. Graduating from the academy, they established a creative and lifetime partnership and formed Atelier Les Deux Garçons, now based in Landgraaf (Dutch Limburg). Earning increasing recognition both within the Netherlands and internationally, Their works have been showcased at Milan’s famous Salon del Mobile design fair, at The Hague’s Kunstmuseum (formerly Gemeentemuseum), Schiedam’s Stedelijk Museum? Maastricht’s Museum aan het Vrijthof and the Ludwig Forum Aachen. They were also included in the ‘Contour and Continuity’ exhibition staged by three Delft museums as well as the ‘Bloedmooi’ exhibition at Rotterdam’s Schielandshuis alongside names like Jan Fabre, Jean Paul Gaultier and Maison Givenchy.

The upcoming exhibition at LKFF Art Projects in Beersel marks another chapter in the duo’s journey, where their unique and bizarre artistic language continues to challenge conventional norms and perceptions.