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At the time, in 2013,

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I was studying in Austria, in Vienna, at the Academy of Fine Arts.

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I was regularly returning to Belgium.

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It had only been a year or two since 
I had started to present my work there,

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and I had just begun making connections 
with a few curators and figures in the art world.

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However, my work was still relatively unknown in Belgium.

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This opportunity therefore presented itself 
as the ideal occasion to showcase what I was doing.

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What particularly appealed to me was that the selection process 
was based on the submission of a portfolio.

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It wasn't about personal connections or informal networking;

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I didn’t have to actively seek people out.
Instead, I could simply submit a file containing my work,

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and the decision would be made solely on the basis of its content
whether the jury found it compelling or not.

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The proposal I submitted involved
constructing a wall

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that would span across all of the exhibition spaces.

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The idea was to negotiate with the other artists
so that we would all engage with this wall in some way.

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I also proposed that we share the prize money 
equally among the four selected artists.

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This way, each of us could walk away with roughly €1,000

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which seemed like a fair and appealing deal.

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However,

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as the discussions with each of the participating artists progressed, 
it gradually became clear that my proposal was leading to a dead end.

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In the end, the work I presented reflected that very impasse
it became a narrative of failed negotiations and the limits of collaboration.

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The Young Belgian Painting Prize represents 
a particularly significant period in my life.

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Ever since childhood, I had dreamed of becoming an artist.

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I imagined it as a wondrous world filled with creativity and meaning. 
I worked relentlessly to reach that vision.

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And then, almost like a newly hatched bird, something opened up — suddenly, unexpectedly.

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I must have been around 27 or 28 years old 
when everything seemed to unfold at once.

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I recall that time as a period of three or four years 
that felt intensely exhilarating.

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It was as if something deep within me had finally come to the surface.

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But I also remember being at the FIAC art fair in Paris, 
standing in the midst of it all, and realizing with a strange clarity:

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this is not my world.

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The world I had dreamed of was not the world I was now confronting

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the world of objects, of commodified art.

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The reality of the art market made me feel deeply uneasy.

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It was a space in which I could not fully find myself.

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And so, I would describe the Young Belgian Painting Prize 
as a kind of enchanted parenthesis

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a moment in time when everything emerged all at once, almost as if by magic.

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But in hindsight, it may also have marked the beginning of a different life altogether.

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The year I participated

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if I recall correctly, that must have been in 2005

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I remember that

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Denicolai & Provoost

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were also among the selected artists that same year.

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Their proposal struck me as particularly relevant,

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as is often the case with their work.

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They suggested cancelling the competition altogether

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meaning, even before the exhibition began,

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they proposed that we not enter into rivalry with one another.

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It was a gesture that carried a certain disruptive potential.

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Reaching the stage of the Young Belgian Painting Prize already 
implies having gone through a significant selection process.

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But one might ask: is this final selection truly necessary?

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Whom does it ultimately serve?

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Their idea was to place all the prize money into a shared fund

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and to distribute it equally among the participating artists.

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I was strongly in favour of this exception.

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However, I recall that one of the artists opposed the idea,

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and so we did not proceed with it.

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Nonetheless,

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as a reflection on what the future 
of the Young Belgian Art Prize could become,

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I believe this proposal represents an intriguing and meaningful path to consider.

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I first became aware of the BelgianArtPrize

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through the work that my friend Adrien Tirtiaux had presented there.

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His project inspired me to apply the following year,

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in 2014.

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At the time of my application,

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A Certain Amount of Clarity had just been finalized.

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I had the strong intuition

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that this film marked a turning point in my artistic practice.

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There is clearly a before and after to this work.

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Prior to it, I had not engaged with the digital revolution 
or the transformations taking place online.

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This was the first time I created a film composed entirely

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of found footage sourced from the Internet.

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For me, it was a significant work,

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and I was actively searching for a platform

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that could present it under the best possible conditions.

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The BelgianArtPrize offered exactly that:

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it provided the ideal context in which to screen the film at Bozar,

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in circumstances that fully respected the integrity of the piece.

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For the Young Belgian Painting Prize,

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which I was awarded in 1999,

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I chose to create a video installation

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filmed on-site at Bozar.

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The scene I filmed, titled Scène d’Attente,

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took place in the Henry Le Boeuf Hall

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the iconic concert venue where I felt particularly at home,

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as I come from a family of music lovers.

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It is a space I knew intimately.

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The work was conceived as an exploration of waiting:

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the moment when the audience enters,

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finds their seats,

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and the performance is about to begin.

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I wanted to focus on that suspended time

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and to create a kind of choreography of anticipation.

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This video was then exhibited in the exhibition spaces,

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on walls painted in a deep burgundy, 
echoing the color of the concert hall’s seats.

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To highlight specific moments from this choreography

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gestures of hands, expressions, iconic details

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I placed A4 sheets directly on the wall,

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pinning them up to draw attention

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to certain elements within the filmed scene.

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For me, the challenge lay

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in translating a work I had developed in my studio
into the exhibition space

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an adaptation that, in the end,

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was only partially successful.

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In my studio, I had worked on a light blue floor,

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but at Bozar, the space was different:

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it had a wooden parquet floor,

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and instead of a traditional wall, there was a fabric-covered panel.

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I made adjustments accordingly,

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but just fifteen minutes before I finished installing the work,

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the jury arrived.

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They told me to hurry, and then added, “You’ve won.”

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It was a gratifying moment.

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That was back in 1985, forty years ago.

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The protocols at the time were different

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more flexible, more human,

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perhaps more spontaneous than those of today.

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When I applied, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into.

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I had only just moved to Brussels a year earlier,

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and it was through conversations with friends

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that I learned the prize was considered important

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and that it was well worth applying,

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especially since there was also a painting award,

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which I had never had the chance to compete for before.

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The experience provided me with significant visibility.

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My work was exhibited at Bozar,

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allowing it to be seen by a wide audience.

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Many artists and key figures from the art world

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discovered my work at that time,

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thanks to the recognition the prize carried.

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It was an opportunity I seized without hesitation,

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and it turned out to be an excellent one.

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In fact, it was a meaningful gateway for me into the Belgian art scene

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clearly a valuable point of entry.

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I was invited to participate in the Young Belgian Painting Prize,

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although my practice focused on textiles.

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My textile work was rendered in primary colours

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red, black, white, blue, and yellow

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which are the only colours I use.

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When presenting to the jury,

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I explained that my work should be understood as painting,

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not as weaving,

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but as a black painting.

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After presenting,

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the jury deliberated.

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Later, I received a phone call informing me

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that I had been selected for the Young Belgian Painting Prize.

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It felt like winning the lottery.

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I remember asking, “Are you sure it’s me?”

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Receiving the Young Belgian Painting Prize marked, for me,

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the beginning of a career

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a true departure point.

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A small anecdote that illustrates the context:

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I found out I had won the Young Belgian Painting Prize through a telegram.

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It was a deeply emotional moment.

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What made it even more unique was that,

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although my parents had always supported me,

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they never fully understood what I was doing.

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At the time, my practice was quite conceptual,

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and for them, it didn’t really resemble what they considered art.

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They struggled to see me as an artist.

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But with the award came press coverage

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articles in the newspaper.

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Suddenly, because it was printed in black and white,

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it gave them a sense of reassurance.

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I believe that, from that moment on, they truly saw me as an artist.

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More importantly, the prize allowed me to continue,

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and it reinforced my intuition

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that it wasn’t foolish to keep pursuing the path I had chosen.

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Winning the BelgianArtPrize was important to me

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because it allowed me to change my professional situation.

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For the first time,

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I could legally and independently practise my work as an artist.

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It marked a real shift.

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The Crowet Prize enabled me suddenly to obtain a VAT status,

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allowing me to enter into a position

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which I wanted to enter in full transparency

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Another formative aspect of the experience

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was meeting the members of an independent jury

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responsible for awarding the prize.

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Without any direct personal stake,

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since the funding came from private sponsors,

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the jury, composed of professionals

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was free to determine how that money would be distributed.

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Engaging with individuals who were far more established in the art world

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gave me both confidence and a sense of legitimacy.

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Many of the artists selected that year are still,

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to this day, practitioners I hold in high regard.

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At that time, the Young Belgian Painting Prize was

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the only national-level award of its kind.

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It was widely regarded as the one prize

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every emerging artist had to participate in.

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For me, it was also one of the first opportunities

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to realise a project on a larger scale.

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Though it was prepared in a very small, dark studio with no daylight,

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the work was eventually built at Bozar

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with the help of my brother and using simple, household materials.

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I have fond memories of that installation period.

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It was the first time I created an expansive landscape,

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a sort of diorama.

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It was a truly meaningful experience

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to be able to create something within such a context

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something that otherwise would never have existed.

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For me, Un Tour d’Horizon is a beautiful example

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of how things can come together in an unexpected and meaningful way.

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The title emerged during one of the meetings with the board members,

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when someone casually remarked:

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Something like

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“A real suspense. No mad exhibition. C’est un tour d’horizon.”

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That moment struck me.

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The notion of a horizon is so present 
and layered within the context of art.

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From there, the work began to take shape.

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I decided to create a performance

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involving six individuals, each contributing

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from their own unique character and sensibility.

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The entire event

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unfolded behind closed doors,

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without my presence,

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and I had to relinquish control.

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This act of letting go generated an energy

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that produced its own kind of beauty.

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Interestingly, I never saw the actual image they created

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during the jury performance.

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It felt like a precious gift

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also because it could be shared with others.

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To my knowledge, I never actually won the prize.

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I was selected as one of the laureates,

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along with four other artists.

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That was in 1972.

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At the time, I was applying to the Higher Institute of Saint-Lucas in Brussels.

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I brought three slide series with me

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to support my application.

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The members of the jury were completely taken aback.

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A few months later,

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I submitted those same works to the Young Belgian Painting competition,

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and to my surprise, I was named one of the laureates.

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The choice to select my work

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reflected not only the evolution of the artist,

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but also the transformation of the prize itself.

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The two were interconnected.

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After the events of May 1968, there was a general push toward

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more democratic structures, including in the art world.

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I can no longer recall the original prize amount awarded to the winner,

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but in the spirit of democratization,

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the prize was divided into four parts

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perhaps even five, maybe enough to go out for a drink.

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But I can’t say for certain.

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Our edition took place in 2015,

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but the edition before included Jasper Rigole,

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whom I knew because we frequented the same cinema in Ghent.

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Felicia Atkinson was also among the participants,

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and she had just released a vinyl record featuring my music.

251
00:14:49,257 --> 00:14:50,515
It felt like quite a coincidence

252
00:14:50,515 --> 00:14:52,524
that these two people were brought together in that exhibition.

253
00:14:52,524 --> 00:14:55,099
I was genuinely excited by the idea:

254
00:14:55,099 --> 00:14:58,832
if they had taken part, then perhaps I should try as well,

255
00:14:59,299 --> 00:15:01,490
even though at the time, I didn’t have much experience

256
00:15:01,490 --> 00:15:03,615
with installations or making exhibitions.

257
00:15:04,299 --> 00:15:08,186
I remember that drafting the proposal was a very exciting process.

258
00:15:08,186 --> 00:15:11,127
I still remember submitting it on the final day.

259
00:15:11,127 --> 00:15:14,577
When I arrived, I saw a large stack of submissions

260
00:15:14,577 --> 00:15:16,969
some even tied with ribbons

261
00:15:16,969 --> 00:15:18,665
as people crossed the street

262
00:15:18,665 --> 00:15:20,688
to deliver them to the Ravenstein gallery.

263
00:15:20,688 --> 00:15:25,442
It was striking to see how many people had applied.

264
00:15:26,402 --> 00:15:28,094
In the past, the award was called the Young Belgian Painting Prize.

265
00:15:28,094 --> 00:15:32,542
At a certain point, it was renamed the BelgianArtPrize.

266
00:15:32,542 --> 00:15:35,177
Only then did I become eligible to participate,

267
00:15:35,177 --> 00:15:37,434
as I had previously been too old under the earlier regulations.

268
00:15:37,434 --> 00:15:39,564
The procedure had also changed.

269
00:15:39,564 --> 00:15:44,815
Initially, artists applied directly, but later it became 
an invitation-based process.

270
00:15:44,815 --> 00:15:47,304
One had to be nominated.

271
00:15:47,411 --> 00:15:48,858
I was placed on a shortlist

272
00:15:48,858 --> 00:15:51,186
and was asked to submit my portfolio.

273
00:15:51,703 --> 00:15:55,207
From that selection, four artists were chosen to create new work,

274
00:15:55,207 --> 00:16:00,311
which would then be exhibited at Bozar.

275
00:16:02,770 --> 00:16:05,728
One would receive the main prize,

276
00:16:05,728 --> 00:16:07,240
and another

277
00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:08,788
myself, in this case

278
00:16:08,788 --> 00:16:11,051
would receive the Public Prize.

279
00:16:11,941 --> 00:16:16,291
I was truly honoured and very pleased.

280
00:16:16,982 --> 00:16:20,575
It meant a great deal, especially because the nominations

281
00:16:20,575 --> 00:16:23,391
came from professionals within the field.

282
00:16:23,391 --> 00:16:27,551
That kind of recognition shows that your work is valued by your peers.

283
00:16:28,169 --> 00:16:31,220
Of course, when you are invited to take part in something of this scale,

284
00:16:31,220 --> 00:16:33,885
particularly in such beautiful spaces at Bozar,

285
00:16:33,885 --> 00:16:37,018
you feel a strong desire to present something meaningful.

286
00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:39,901
Shortly before the exhibition,

287
00:16:39,901 --> 00:16:44,110
I had collaborated with a lace maker from Halle.

288
00:16:45,783 --> 00:16:48,772
I asked her if she would be interested in working together again

289
00:16:48,772 --> 00:16:51,700
to create The Gadget, the first atomic bomb

290
00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:54,135
this time using a 3D lace technique.

291
00:16:56,085 --> 00:16:58,668
I had been discussing with Jan Mot

292
00:16:59,819 --> 00:17:03,612
where and how I could present my work,

293
00:17:03,612 --> 00:17:06,398
as I was still a very young artist at the time.

294
00:17:07,046 --> 00:17:11,297
Etienne Wynants, who was then working at De Witte Raaf,

295
00:17:11,297 --> 00:17:15,663
suggested that I consider applying for the BelgianArtPrize.

296
00:17:18,112 --> 00:17:20,112
I thought to myself, why not?

297
00:17:20,606 --> 00:17:22,342
So I submitted an application.

298
00:17:23,509 --> 00:17:28,625
The works I presented were actually my first cinematic portraits.

299
00:17:29,084 --> 00:17:33,215
They marked the beginning of a direction

300
00:17:33,215 --> 00:17:36,335
that I would continue to develop in the years that followed.

301
00:17:36,936 --> 00:17:40,547
The exhibition as part of the BelgianArtPrize

302
00:17:40,547 --> 00:17:42,633
was a turning point for me

303
00:17:43,796 --> 00:17:47,019
it was the first time I truly felt that a wide audience

304
00:17:47,019 --> 00:17:49,814
had seen my work and knew who I was.

305
00:17:50,546 --> 00:17:52,720
In the years prior, there had always been the lingering question

306
00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:54,886
of whether I might return to the Netherlands.

307
00:17:55,481 --> 00:18:00,040
So if you ask me what the prize represented for me,

308
00:18:00,040 --> 00:18:02,832
I would say it was the moment I felt

309
00:18:02,832 --> 00:18:09,974
that I had become a part of the art scene in Brussels.

310
00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:13,833
It was Jacques ’t Kindt who said,

311
00:18:13,833 --> 00:18:22,219
“You know what, Jean-Marie? You should submit a portfolio 
for the Young Belgian Painting Prize. I think you stand a chance.”

312
00:18:23,752 --> 00:18:28,929
When you see your own name at Bozar,

313
00:18:28,929 --> 00:18:34,143
a place you have been visiting for exhibitions for over ten years,

314
00:18:34,143 --> 00:18:35,827
it certainly has an impact.

315
00:18:36,991 --> 00:18:42,829
Jan Hoet was among the supporting members listed there.

316
00:18:43,562 --> 00:18:47,996
Afterwards, the work was shown in Confrontatie en Confrontaties.

317
00:18:47,996 --> 00:18:51,512
He later exhibited my work alongside artists

318
00:18:51,512 --> 00:18:55,061
such as Luc Tuymans in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

319
00:18:55,620 --> 00:19:01,512
So yes, in terms of institutions, that truly served as a springboard.

320
00:19:02,554 --> 00:19:04,844
For me that prize,

321
00:19:06,404 --> 00:19:08,624
in terms of visibility,

322
00:19:08,914 --> 00:19:13,529
it marked the beginning of my career as an artist

323
00:19:13,529 --> 00:19:14,884
it was really the start.

324
00:19:16,292 --> 00:19:18,642
I know I did not won the prize.

325
00:19:18,642 --> 00:19:19,912
I never win prizes.

326
00:19:21,036 --> 00:19:22,586
But still.

327
00:19:23,996 --> 00:19:27,714
The work that received the most attention there, I believe,

328
00:19:27,714 --> 00:19:31,079
was Ruurlo, Bocurloscheweg 1910,

329
00:19:32,187 --> 00:19:37,239
a short video animation in fact, a very minimal animation,

330
00:19:37,239 --> 00:19:40,639
a subtle intervention on an archival image I had found.

331
00:19:42,397 --> 00:19:45,347
In retrospect, years later,

332
00:19:45,347 --> 00:19:49,005
I often wondered about that piece

333
00:19:49,005 --> 00:19:51,883
which eventually ended up in the collection of M HKA

334
00:19:51,802 --> 00:19:55,512
whether I had even the slightest inkling,

335
00:19:55,512 --> 00:19:57,476
any awareness at all,

336
00:19:57,476 --> 00:20:01,516
that I would dedicate the rest of my life

337
00:20:01,516 --> 00:20:03,760
to making such films.

338
00:20:04,593 --> 00:20:05,760
I don’t think so.

339
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:10,874
But I did know at the time that I had hit a personal sweet spot.

340
00:20:11,924 --> 00:20:13,699
As a young artist, you don’t need much.

341
00:20:14,549 --> 00:20:17,459
A few people who connect with your work.

342
00:20:20,959 --> 00:20:25,981
Some press that finds it strange, but somehow still understands it.

343
00:20:27,334 --> 00:20:30,091
A few encouraging pats on the back and the feeling that maybe,

344
00:20:30,091 --> 00:20:32,197
just maybe, you could break through

345
00:20:32,197 --> 00:20:34,416
maybe you could keep going.

346
00:20:36,637 --> 00:20:39,082
I participated in the Young Belgian Painting Prize three times.

347
00:20:39,440 --> 00:20:44,323
My first entry was with three canvases, painted in acrylic.

348
00:20:45,048 --> 00:20:46,603
The second time,

349
00:20:46,603 --> 00:20:50,810
I submitted drawings bundled together like a book.

350
00:20:51,834 --> 00:20:53,993
I thought, I need to be careful

351
00:20:53,993 --> 00:21:00,019
imagine they open it and the pages get mixed up.

352
00:21:00,752 --> 00:21:02,386
That absolutely had to be avoided,

353
00:21:02,386 --> 00:21:04,086
so I wrapped it up securely.

354
00:21:04,978 --> 00:21:07,152
I said, “Look, this is my work,”

355
00:21:07,152 --> 00:21:09,896
and placed it on a chair, somewhat on the side,

356
00:21:09,896 --> 00:21:11,135
I remember that clearly.

357
00:21:11,593 --> 00:21:13,461
Later, I heard from a jury member

358
00:21:13,461 --> 00:21:15,693
that they had not found my work.

359
00:21:15,693 --> 00:21:17,919
They had one form left over and had said,

360
00:21:17,919 --> 00:21:20,319
“Well, his work isn’t here. Where is it?”

361
00:21:20,319 --> 00:21:23,236
Until they opened the package that was lying on the chair,

362
00:21:23,236 --> 00:21:26,714
wrapped in brown paper and sealed tightly

363
00:21:26,714 --> 00:21:28,977
and they ended up giving me a distinction.

364
00:21:28,977 --> 00:21:30,514
That was the second time.

365
00:21:30,872 --> 00:21:35,267
The third time, I participated with two works,

366
00:21:35,267 --> 00:21:38,949
one of which consisted of twelve frames

367
00:21:38,949 --> 00:21:41,341
an objet trouvé.

368
00:21:42,133 --> 00:21:45,441
That work earned me a laureate selection.

369
00:21:45,900 --> 00:21:49,920
I sold it to Galerie MTL,

370
00:21:51,012 --> 00:21:53,262
which was a great support to me

371
00:21:54,003 --> 00:21:56,596
and was planning to give me an exhibition.

372
00:21:56,596 --> 00:22:01,214
But that never happened because the gallery closed down.

373
00:22:02,681 --> 00:22:04,939
Well, when I won the Young Belgian Painting Prize,

374
00:22:04,939 --> 00:22:06,451
you know, there were all these people

375
00:22:06,451 --> 00:22:07,283
including my father

376
00:22:07,283 --> 00:22:09,997
who said, “This is fantastic. You could do this for the rest of your life.”

377
00:22:10,539 --> 00:22:11,672
And at that moment, I thought,

378
00:22:11,672 --> 00:22:13,355
“There’s no way I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.”

379
00:22:13,580 --> 00:22:15,639
So I introduced a kind of dialectic:

380
00:22:15,639 --> 00:22:18,572
thesis, antithesis, synthesis.

381
00:22:19,089 --> 00:22:21,122
And then that synthesis becomes a new thesis.

382
00:22:22,063 --> 00:22:25,680
In that way, I’ve created over 30 different series

383
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:27,272
in the last 40 years,

384
00:22:27,272 --> 00:22:29,224
all titled The Chromosomic Memory.

385
00:22:30,218 --> 00:22:31,685
They are all related.

386
00:22:31,685 --> 00:22:33,182
It’s like one giant book,

387
00:22:33,182 --> 00:22:34,665
but constantly evolving.

388
00:22:34,945 --> 00:22:36,950
I remember Madame Langui

389
00:22:36,950 --> 00:22:38,508
it was the Langui Prize.

390
00:22:38,668 --> 00:22:41,481
The story I was told is that she came into the room,

391
00:22:41,481 --> 00:22:42,512
saw my work, and said,

392
00:22:42,512 --> 00:22:43,329
“That’s going to be the prize.”

393
00:22:44,347 --> 00:22:45,026
And then they said,

394
00:22:45,026 --> 00:22:47,181
“Alright, we’ll keep that in mind.

395
00:22:47,181 --> 00:22:50,089
And if we prefer something else, we can always change.”

396
00:22:50,551 --> 00:22:53,907
And they never put it into question.

397
00:22:53,907 --> 00:22:55,874
It was decided in the first moment.

398
00:22:56,725 --> 00:22:58,167
You know, once you win the prize,

399
00:22:58,167 --> 00:22:59,850
you meet all sorts of people.

400
00:23:00,292 --> 00:23:04,099
I certainly met Flor Bex, who was a great fan of my work

401
00:23:04,099 --> 00:23:08,075
and bought a lot of pictures for M HKA

402
00:23:08,813 --> 00:23:11,264
I suppose the first thing that happened

403
00:23:11,264 --> 00:23:13,817
once we were selected for the prize was

404
00:23:13,817 --> 00:23:17,427
that the selected artists were brought in to see the exhibition space.

405
00:23:18,701 --> 00:23:22,706
I immediately noticed people looking at certain spaces.

406
00:23:23,662 --> 00:23:27,796
Because most of my work revolves around writing,

407
00:23:28,123 --> 00:23:31,801
Actually I don't really like exhibition spaces very much.

408
00:23:33,456 --> 00:23:36,768
My immediate reaction to this idea of claiming a space

409
00:23:36,768 --> 00:23:37,691
was actually to get away.

410
00:23:39,129 --> 00:23:41,160
And when I saw the Salle Le Boeuf,

411
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,894
I thought, “Oh my God, this is the perfect place.”

412
00:23:43,894 --> 00:23:48,274
I can be between between Samuel Beckett’s Quad

413
00:23:48,274 --> 00:23:50,741
and Opening Night by John Cassavetes.

414
00:23:51,087 --> 00:23:53,887
So I had those three elements in mind.

415
00:23:54,419 --> 00:23:57,775
It was also an important moment in my work

416
00:23:57,775 --> 00:23:59,137
on the bridge from

417
00:24:02,103 --> 00:24:04,641
having a performance-based practice, because

418
00:24:04,641 --> 00:24:08,314
since then I have been doing a great deal of performance work.