Leendert VAN ACCOLEYEN - Hol water maakt vloed (Hollow Water Makes Flow) (2021)

The artist finds and subsequently uses objects in his sculptures which he defines as ‘uncapitalised’ because they have no capital value and are therefore independent of the dominant, profitable structures in our society. He likes to create tall installations and looks for ways to accurately balance the different parts. In this way, his works always provide an exciting spectacle. 

Van Accoleyen is fascinated by the idea of boundaries and the unwritten rules in (semi) public spaces. The VUB campus became the backdrop for his installation Hol water maakt vloed (Hollow Water Makes Flow). Two mattresses were placed on a construction of Nadar fences, protected by a swaying roof of Heras fences. The structures are anchored to the ground with rusty, iron barbed-wire.  

Although the open-air sculpture is made of materials that usually deny access to a place, the construction paradoxically takes the form of a cosy house. It seems to invite the passer-by to climb in and take a seat on the mattresses. With this work of art, Van Accoleyen casts both a humorous and a critical eye on the unwritten rules of public spaces, and he tries to puncture the illusion of freedom.