Kaïn Walgrave (°1990, Leuven) lives and works in Brussels. His work has been shown at KIOSK (Ghent), STUK (Leuven) and De Markten (Brussels), among others. He will be a resident at Moussem from April 19 until June 30.
In his work, Walgrave combines archiving and creating. In his studio, he turns found images into paintings, although he does not want to describe himself as a painter. Painting is just a snapshot, a way to give an object a second life. Where the image comes from and where it goes is essential. The game of finding, giving, giving back and passing on is the common thread. His practice is an exercise in letting go, focusing on the performative aspect of exchange.
During the Moussem residency, Walgrave continues working on his project Hello, I'm looking for a normal coffee table for a woman . Since 2014, he has been collecting thousands of photos from various Facebook GIFT groups: groups where people offer free stuff using images. Based on these photos, he creates paintings, which later find their way back to the same GIFT groups. He became fascinated by the honest images, alongside advertisements for new counterparts, where the line between value and worthlessness is thin.
Collaboration with M
This residency is a collaboration with M, a Leuven museum and visual arts platform that makes meaningful connections across time, to society and between art disciplines. M and Moussem are expanding their residency collaboration by organizing an interaction between the two residency sites (Brussels and Leuven). Every two years, M selects one resident in collaboration with Moussem. In addition, Moussem and M select an artist from Leuven for a residency with Moussem. The exchange aims to anchor the artists' artistic practices in a new urban context, as well as to expand their professional network.
This collaboration will take place for the first time in the spring of 2024. Angyvir Padilla is the new M resident, Kaïn Walgrave makes the reverse move and becomes a resident at Moussem.
On May 4, you can see Kaïn at work at Moussem Studios during Atelier in beeld, the big open studio weekend for visual artists throughout Flanders and Brussels.
photo: Siemen Van Gaubergen
