The work of Brussels-based artist Richard Venlet (born 1964 in Hamilton, Australia) combines installation art, artistic research, exhibition design and architecture. His work has been shown in numerous national and international galleries and museums, including: WIELS and BOZAR in Brussels, S.M.A.K. in Ghent, Kunsthalle in Düsseldorf, Macba in Barcelona and Culturgest in Lisbon, amongst others. Venlet creates "environments" out of spaces. His refined abstract aesthetics and the pragmatism of his work go well beyond a simple formal reference to Modernism and Minimalism. Working in context-specific situations, he has produced numerous installations that incorporate the work of other artists and collaborators, forming composite and circuitous environments that are often whimsical reconfigurations of the architectural space. By intervening in a space, the artist gives the viewer an experience of alienation; making them see their surroundings in a new way and occupy a central place in them. As an artist who deliberately intervenes within architectural and exhibition spaces, Venlet pursues this interest in architectural production by means of regular collaborations with architectural offices, such as
OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen.
