"Themes such as deception, manipulation, propaganda and ideology, always with an ironic or sardonic twist."
"Themes such as deception, manipulation, propaganda and ideology, always with an ironic or sardonic twist."
“Gery De Smet works in his painting like an archivist or an archaeologist, who is always looking for what binds people or what divides them”
“Gery De Smet works in his painting like an archivist or an archaeologist, who is always looking for what binds people or what divides them”
Gery De Smet (°1961, Merksem, BE) studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Gent and HISK, winning the Young Belgian Painting Prize in 1992.
He lives and works in St.-Amandsberg (Gent, BE).
Gery De Smet works in his painting like an archivist or an archaeologist, who is always looking for what binds people or what divides them.
It is therefore not surprising that the paintings, which he often makes in series, lean on man’s irrepressible need for folklore, heroism, nationalism and (self) deceit.
De Smet works on themes such as deception, manipulation, propaganda and ideology, always with an ironic or sardonic twist.
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“As a painter, I explore myths, nature, and history, questioning how history is shaped and traditions are made. My work features common symbols like semiotics, runes, and circuits, which can reflect landscapes and vice versa. In my international series Hoaxes, I use national symbols scattered like confetti. Language plays a crucial role in my art; I create sayings and ceramics with repeating phrases. I’m interested in toponym endings that appear in various countries, such as -pur in Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, which raises questions about borders. My art series, including paintings and sculptures, reflects these themes.”
Gery De Smet (born 1961 in Merksem, Belgium) studied painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and HISK, earning his Master of Fine Arts in 1984. He won the Young Belgian Painting Prize in 1992. He lives and works in St.-Amandsberg (BE), exploring various media alongside painting. De Smet approaches painting like an archivist or archaeologist, examining what connects or divides people. His series often highlight humanity's need for folklore, heroism, nationalism, and self-deception, tackling themes like deception, manipulation, propaganda, and ideology with irony.
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In Umberto Eco’s novel The Name of the Rose, the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville argues that the universe lacks an ultimate order. He acknowledges the mind’s limitations and suggests that order is a human prerogative, a tool to achieve a goal. Once the goal is reached, the “ladder” of order becomes meaningless. Eco’s view of order as functional and connected to human limitations differs from the postmodern skepticism of the concept shared by intellectuals, artists, architects, and scientists at the beginning of the 20th century. These thinkers were preoccupied with the dialectics between order and disorder.
Gery De Smet’s work questions the function and relevance of order. His art practice involves trying to make sense of the chaos around us. The tree diagram on the book’s opening pages reveals the sequentiality and logical development of his work and thoughts. His complex research branches off into an intricate network of connections. His former works in series exemplify this approach. Motivated by insight (p. 131–208), De Smet creates ongoing postcard-sized paintings since 1986. Drawing from societal images provided by broadcast and digital media, he selects those resonating with his instincts, particularly those evoking contemporary times. Presented in a triangular composition reminiscent of military airplanes in the sky, these works connect with the “war of images” of World War I and its recent resurgence in international terrorism.
Photography, as a form of propaganda, has long been a subject of debate due to its potential danger and presumed objectivity. Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar argued that images represent ideological concepts of the world. De Smet shares Jaar’s opinion, arranging his paintings like military airplanes ready to attack, but he goes beyond overturning the image’s presumed neutrality. He emphasizes the aggression of visual stimuli assaulting our eyes today, implying that images are weapons themselves.
De Smet’s paintings, like the ons from his series Evenings in Abentland, explores the association between images, weapons, and danger. In U loot I shoot (2003–2020), he focuses on spatial limits and human-natural boundaries, viewing them as impediments to human freedom. He reflects on these limits and the right to roam freely or transgress. Forgotten waiting walls (2019) depicts a peaceful Flanders landscape near the French-Belgian border, with a path cutting the scene in two. The artist’s interest is in this path, which marks the visual field’s repartition. Notably, he includes a flagpole without a flag, having previously focused on missing flags in his Ways of living series.
De Smet’s work often highlights paradoxes in western societies, questioning European identity, which, despite member states’ efforts, has never produced a sense of belonging for most citizens. Territories and national identities are central to Hoaxes (works in confetti, 2010–ongoing). This series of ephemeral works explores these concepts. Site-specific assemblages of colored confetti depicting flags and coats of arms unite people for centuries. These symbols create a sense of belonging and solidarity, but De Smet’s ephemeral confetti-based works highlight their unreliability and ambiguity.
De Smet defines political pop art, including works like Hoaxes, The relativity of geopolitics, Game without limits, and Time-out, as such. While he realistically reproduces symbols, their perception varies across contexts. For instance, in some countries, certain political symbols are banned on floors, forcing De Smet to construct special podiums or work around restrictions.
All De Smet’s political pop art series explore power, national identity, and representation. Glory to the power of body and soul (2016) depicted the Polish coat of arms, a red shield framing a white eagle with a crown, which had been used since the 12th century but temporarily altered after World War II. In 1955, the communist authorities removed the eagle’s crown, symbolizing monarchy and sovereignty. Only in December 1989 was it reinstated.
Poland’s democratic transition led to the foundation of the Third Polish Republic, where the eagle’s crown was restored. De Smet created a giant eagle of nearly 240 square meters for the Polish biennial, symbolizing the country’s evolving cultural meaning.In 2019, De Smet’s 180 square meter installation, “Il Potere è Vulnerabile,” reproduced the famous Latin acronym SPQR, representing the unity of the Roman government and citizens. Despite recent misinterpretations, the acronym symbolized ancient Rome’s democratic principles and the vulnerability of authority. The title underscored the precariousness of power and the difficulty in maintaining it.
Another notable work is “The identical lookalike,” created in Palermo in 2018 for Manifesta 12. The installation replicated the coat of arms of tenth-century Sicily, which closely resembles the symbol of Flanders. Intrigued by the similarity, De Smet recreated the emblem, highlighting the interconnectedness of symbols and cultures. De Smet’s public space, Piazza Magione, faced the wind and sun. He was intrigued by a sign shared by European cultures, highlighting the ambiguity of symbols. While the artwork emphasized the futility of symbol identification, it also raised awareness of their historical significance.
Beyond Piazza Magione, De Smet explored the concepts of belonging and identity. In his performance “Waregem and wide surroundings” (2017), 306 people paraded through Waregem, carrying placards with 306 place names ending in “-gem.”Inspired by Belgian toponymy, De Smet discovered that the suffixes “-gem” and “-hem” mean “house of,” similar to English suffixes “-gham” and “-ham.” Both originate from the old German word “heima,” meaning home, homestead, or hamlet. Introduced during the Germanic period in Belgian history (5th to 10th century AD), these suffixes are prevalent in Flanders. After researching and listing the found places, De Smet created over 300 wooden placards and invited participants from the affected cities and villages. During the performance, each participant received a placard, and the parade passed through Waregem with brass bands and a majorette group. Many Waregem citizens participated in a large-scale city-like celebration. At a canvas factory, they arranged placards in a specific way, creating an installation called Family Constellation. He did the same with toponymes ending in -pour for the Katmandu Biennale.
De Smet organized happenings like The Delusions in Us and participatory processions or parades in the late nineties. Dedication (1999), a parade during his solo show at the Campo Santo Chapel in Sint-Amandsberg, resembled a Catholic procession with a canopy carried by participants. Each carried a placard with an original aphorism written by the artist. He led a secular collective ritual imitating Christian liturgy, becoming the high priest of a secular religion worshipping art as a divinity. De Smet used the forty aphorisms in The Position of Our Suns (2015). Inspired by the Maypole ritual, a pagan spring celebration in northern and western Europe since the Middle Ages, he created a participatory performance with musicians and flag bearers carrying turquoise banners with the aphorisms. The performance involved nearly sixty participants and took place in an unspecified location. The former garden of Gallery Villa De Olmen in Wieze (BE), where De Smet had a solo show, saw him again as a spiritual leader, uniting people and establishing emotional connections through group-based values.
These performances aim to fill the spiritual void, using art as a substitute for God. Patriotism, belonging, and attachment, encouraged by authorities for centuries, are now met with suspicion and cynicism due to the tragic events of the last century and the rise of right-wing nationalism. Modernity has also led to skepticism towards communal rituals, seen as authoritarian mechanisms. However, rituals can re-establish harmony and order within society, and contemporary societies desperately need such effects.
Like Joseph Beuys, De Smet suggests that artists have a responsibility to create new myths, images, and beliefs, inviting viewers to see things differently. Making sense of chaos and filling the void left by faith with art (which can wield power and heal consciousness) is perhaps the artist’s most meaningful purpose today.
curator, writer & professor
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AWARDS
1992
Jonge Belgische Schilderkunst / Jeune Peinture Belge, 1e prijs / 1st price: Emile Langui
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Nationale Loterij, Brussel (BE); NATO headquarters, Brussel (BE); Artetage, Museum Moderne Kunst, Vladivostok (RU); Erasmus Ziekenhuis Rotterdam (NL); Museum van Deinze en de Leiestreek (BE); Museum Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen (BE); Vlaamse Gemeenschap (BE); Nationale Bank, Brussel (BE); Vlaams parlement (BE); Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen (BE); Provinciaal Museum Oostende (BE); Janssen Pharmaceutica (BE); Stad Harelbeke (BE), Belfius Collection (BE).
I was born in Merksem and grew up on the Left Bank of Antwerp. Like many kids, I built small cities with wooden blocks, tried to make a cartoon with markers, and painted with gouache and printer's ink. As a teenager, I joined an art school, where I wrote poems and stories. I later chose to study at the Ghent academy for its experimental approach.
My work often explores the need for and misuse of myths, using nature and its symbols. I also examine the ideas of relativity, history’s interchangeability, and its appropriation, looking into invented traditions. In my family tree at the end of my work, the main branch represents painting, with its twigs showing my series of canvases, installations, ceramics, and films.
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2023
About my contribution in Museumhuis Lucien De Geus
2022
2021
Article by art critic Megumi Takashima in Artscape about the solo in HRD Fine Art in Kyoto (JP)
Article by Joanna Pietrowicz in BLOKmagazine about the show in Bydgosczc (PL)
2018
Reportage about group show Verknipt (SNTV)
2017
Article by Zeenat Nagree about the Kathmandu Biënnale (NP)
VRT-Journaal 2017/24/03
West-Vlaamse televise (WTV - Focus) 2017/25/03
Over de Kathmandu Triënnale, Espresso, (VRT, Klara) 2017/28/03
2016
2013
De Moscow Times about the Moskou Biënnale
WTV about Kortrijk Vlaandert in Kortrijk 506 N kortijkvlaandert METSVO 20130705163838
AVS 7-8 april about conversations in Ronse
2012
Ring TV, Zina Zomert, 2012/25/09
2011
AVS about Gevaarlijk Jong in Museum Guislain, 2011/29/09
Gesprekken: Hilde van Canneyt ontmoet Hedendaagse Kunstenaars: Gery De Smet
RU - (OTV-PRIM) - PUBLIC-tv van Primorye REGIO
2010
Interview Kurt Van Eeghem - Gery De Smet op Babel, KLARA, VRT, 29/06/2010
2007
West-Vlaamse Televise (WTV - Focus)
www.art-tv.ch "Scope Basel"
2006
Klara in Geel, interview Johan Van Cauwenberghe Dan Toewijding, Klara VRT - Vlaamse Radio en Televisie, 2006/05/04
Het Journaal (Art Brussels), EEN, VRT - Vlaamse Radio en Televisie, 2006/04/21
2004
Van genot en passie, interview Peter Pim Windhorst - Gery De Smet, Radio Brabant (Nl)
Vlaanderen Vakantieland; Vlaamse Radio en Televisie,
2003
Fresco, interview Xavier Vandamme - Gery De Smet; Klara VRT - Vlaamse Radio en Televisie 2003/12/11
X-poost, AVS, 2003/12/11
Zomernieuws, AVS, 2003/06/08(Download in ogg-formaat - Nederlands -. 6.9MB)
2001
Belgisch Atelier Belge. Johan Pas, Canvas VRT, Wijzen van wonen.
Cultuur Matin - Expositions. , RTBF, 2:45 min.
2000
Koppeling. Kinderspel. sn; VRT - Vlaamse Radio en Televisie
1997
Modernisme in de schilderkunst Willy Van den Bussche, Flor Bex, BRTN - Belgische Radio en Televisie Nederlands, Brussel; 19.41 min., 1992/07/05
1996
De Kunstberg. Jean-Pierre Rondas, BRTN - Belgische Radio en Televisie Nederlands, Brussel
1993
Modernisme in de schilderkunst Johan Pas; BRTN - Belgische Radio en Televisie Nederlands, Brussel
1991
Stad aan de Stroom; BRTN Kunstzaken
1990
Interview, France 3
1989
Interview Daan Rau - Gery De Smet, Radio Toestel
IN MEDIA — HIGHLIGHTS