Jan Fabre | |
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 Jan Fabre (center) in 2008 | |
| Born | December 14, 1958 |
Jan Fabre, born on December 14, 1958, in Antwerp, Belgium, is a versatile artist known for his contributions to theater, literature, and visual arts. With a career spanning nearly four decades, Fabre has established himself as an influential figure in the artistic landscape. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Jan Fabre often refers to the concept of ‘Consilience’ – the unity of knowledge – a concept that was elaborated by William Whewell (1794–1866) and further developed by the American entomologist, biologist and philosopher Edward O. Wilson (1929–2021) in his book 1998 Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge.
Fabre describes himself as a consilience artist, explaining: ‘It’s a merging of elements from different disciplines guided by fact-based theory and practice across disciplines. An understanding of entomology can, for example, lead to new interpretations within the visual arts. Or vice versa – you see connections (For example across art, theatre, science, religion, medicine), you make new interpretations. This is consilience.' [6] Fabre identifies with this idea of consilience, taking a multifaceted and far-reaching approach. Thanks to this undertaking, Fabre offers fresh interpretations to the world of visual art, theatre and literature [6] .
In his visual oeuvre, Fabre has developed a unique and coherent universe; a highly personal visual language with recurring symbols and motifs [1] [6] . Whilst studying in Antwerp at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Municipal Institute for Decorative Arts and Crafts [1] , where he "developed a profound love ofbeauty and its spiritual power” - Jan Fabre [2] [6] [7] . Curious by nature he became influenced by the manuscripts of entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915), so states he "became fascinated by the world of insects at a young age" [6] .
He wrote his first scripts for theatre between 1976 and 1980 and also did his first solo performances. During his 'money-performances', he burned money and wrote the word 'MONEY' with the ashes. In 1977, he renamed the street where he lived to "Jan Fabre Street" and fixed a commemorative plaque "Here lives and works Jan Fabre" to the house of his parents, analogous to the commemorative plate on the house of Vincent van Gogh in the same street. In 1978 he made drawings with his own blood during the solo performance 'My body, my blood, my landscape'. From 1980, Fabre began his career as a stage director and stage designer. In 1986 he established the Troubleyn/Jan Fabre theatre company with extensive international operations; its home base is Antwerp, Belgium.[ citation needed ]
Fabre became known for his Bic-art (ballpoint drawings). In 1980, in 'The Bic-Art Room', he had himself locked up for three days and three nights in a white cube full of objects, drawing with blue "Bic" ballpoint pens as an alternative to "Big" art. In 1990 he covered an entire building with ballpoint drawings.[ citation needed ]
Fabre also explored relationships between drawing and sculpture creating sculptures in bronze (among them The man who measures the clouds and Searching for Utopia ) and with beetles. He decorated the ceiling of the Royal Palace in Brussels with one million six hundred thousand jewel-scarab wing cases for his work Heaven of Delight. In 2004 he erected Totem, a giant bug stuck on a 70-foot steel needle, on the Ladeuzeplein in Leuven (BE).[ citation needed ]
In September 2016 Fabre made an attempt to not break cyclist Eddy Merckx's 1972 hour record at the Tête d'Or Velodrome in Lyon. Fabre completed a total of 23 km in an hour, compared to Merckx's record of over 49 km. Merckx, fellow cyclist Raymond Poulidor, and veteran cycling commentator Daniel Mangeas commentated the event, [8] which was performed as the opening of his "Stigmata" retrospective exhibition organised by the Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon. [9] Fabre described the attempt as "how to remain a dwarf in the land of giants". [10]
In September 2018, twenty former members of Fabre's performing arts company, Troubleyn/Jan Fabre (Antwerp, Belgium) accused him of sexual harassment, abuse of power, and assault. These accusations strongly diminished Fabre's standing in the artistic community. [11]
On 28 June 2021, Belgiums' Labour Auditor, acting in his capacity as prosecutor since the alleged offenses were committed in the workplace, indicted Fabre on charges of violence at work and sexual harassment. [12] [13]
On Friday April 29, 2022 Jan Fabre was sentenced by a Belgian court to 18 months (without imprisonment) for 5 “violations of the law on the welfare of workers” and, in the case of a woman, of “assault on decency” (i.e. assault for a kiss 'with the tongue' ). [14] While Jan Fabre won't appeal his conviction, 175 former employees and colleagues have sided with the artist/theatre-maker and spoken out about the incorrect portrayal of Fabre as a 'racist, violent molester.' [15]
On 26 October 2012, several media outlets reported on a shoot in the Antwerp town hall for a forthcoming film exploring Jan Fabre’s artistic practice, living cats were thrown into the air, after which they made a landing on the steps of the entrance hall (which was covered in a protective layer). The owner of the cats and vet was present during the filming. Later that day, Fabre claimed all cats were still in good health. [16] [17] [18] [19]
Then in February 2016, Jan Fabre was appointed by the Greek Ministry of Culture as the Creative Director of the annual Athens – Epidaurus Festival. [20] He resigned less than two months later, on 2 April 2016, after controversy over his plan to turn Greece's major arts festival into "a tribute to Belgium" and devote eight of the festival's ten productions to those from his homeland. [21]
In October 2016, the Russian State Hermitage museum staged a Fabre exhibition which drew a lot of criticism from visitors and institutions such as the Russian Orthodox Church. [22] [23] Stuffed animals in strange poses sparked outcry among Russian social media network users who launched a campaign under the hashtag #позорэрмитажу, or "Shame on you, Hermitage". The museum then organized an event to meet the public and explain the exhibition. [24] The artist confirmed that the animals used were taken from roads where they had been killed and denied any accusations by critics of cruelty.
“The animals featured in this installation were found near Antwerp, because many people in Belgium, Holland and France buy dogs and then abandon them on the street during the summer and so they are killed. This installation is essentially a kind of a homage to these animals...I think this exhibition also talks about the power and the force and the vulnerability of humankind and animals.” – Jan Fabre [6] [24]
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