On Saturday 6 April 2013 the artist and filmmaker Hans Op de Beeck made “Dance”, a contemporary film about migration for the Red Star Line Museum. It was a cold spring day but the commitment and the enthusiasm of the 770 extras was heart-warming.
Mention of heritage in Antwerp immediately puts us in mind of the cathedral or a painting by Rubens. But the Reuzenstoet (Giants’ Parade) or an ancient tree are also part of our heritage, and the same is true of everything we have built up over the centuries in our society.
The tile tableau from 1547 is a rare witness to early majolica production in Antwerp, a typical Renaissance phenomenon. The Saulus tableau is a piece of indispensable cultural heritage for Flanders.
The Royal Academy for Fine Arts existed 350 years in 2013. At the same time, the renowned Fashion Department turned 50. That is why the whole of Antwerp was dominated by the Academy and the clash between contemporary artistic "violence" and historical heritage.
Guy Rombouts and Benjamin Verdonck rearrange Jaap Kruithof
The Belgian philosopher Jaap Kruithof collected things that other people usually discard. Half of his collection is now given a new life thanks to the work of visual artists Guy Rombouts and Benjamin Verdonck.
The Saulus tableau depicts a Biblical scene: on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, the Roman Saul, persecuting Christians, is blinded by a lightning bolt and thrown from his horse. This tile tableau of over 1 by 2 metres has 98 tiles in majolica, colourful and glazed earthenware.
The 54 preserved miniatures in this series together form a visual guide for meditation on a mandala. This is a depiction of the cosmos, in this case with Sarvavid Vairocana – the most important of the five heavenly or dhyani Buddhas.
