A large inflatable figure that represents a seated refugee
From 16 to 30 June, 2024
Saló dels Miralls (Mirror Hall)
Coinciding with the current migration crisis from East to West, Schellekens & Peleman have started work on The Inflatable Refugee. A large inflatable adult male figure that represents a seated refugee.
The Inflatable Refugee gazes blankly into the distance. Has he arrived at a safe haven or will he be refused and be sent from whence he came? His sheer size allows him to look over and beyond us and keep watch on the horizon, not limited by borders or documents. It makes him inescapable, undeniably present. Do we see him as a human or as a problem?
Is his presence an opportunity or a threat, devoid of human characteristics?
Schellekens & Peleman proportionally enlarged the ‘Inflatable Refugee’ to match the extreme reactions his arrival in the Western world evoked.
His size represents how we perceive him. Schellekens & Peleman have chosen to create this inflatable figure from the same material as the boats, used by human traffickers to cross the Mediterranean Sea, are made from.
It’s too fragile to withstand the waves of the sea, making the passengers on these boats extremely vulnerable.nes (Bèlgica), Ostende (Bèlgica), Melbourne (Austràlia), Breda (Països Baixos) i ara arriba al Gran Teatre del Liceu a Barcelona.
Belgian visual artist Schellekens is interested in individual beings and how they act in daily life. This he confronts with unnoticed processes, such as social conventions having a great impact on the lives and functioning of those individuals. He is interested in the choices we make, the outcomes and the malleability of happiness. T
he work of Schellekens is often a blend of poetry, surrealism, humour and absurdism and balances on the verges of urban art, Dadaism and performative art. To establish a direct one on one interaction between art and audiences, the artist often operates in the proximity of the audience and investigates the impact it generates. This impact is not meant to support the artists’ status, but is solely intended to establish a direct communication between public and artwork.
The provocative elements in his artwork must be understood as an invitation to reflect on conventions and accepted values in society. These dialogues often form the very basis of his art practice. Without one another the work often does not exist.
Schellekens makes an ongoing investigation about how the borders between art and public can vanish. He often makes works which are only visible or tangible by interaction of the public. He aims to infiltrate art in daily life, to feed us with reflection, pause, doubt and curiosity. He’s often presenting a razor sharp observation wrapped in subtle layers of humour. His intention is to create art, which is widely understood by a broad and diverse audience, without giving in to the artistic and contentual quality.
This is what Schellekens calls his ‘art-for-all’ principle. In the past Schellekens was invited to show his work by Museum Victoria – Australia, Tate Liverpool – UK, Berkeley University – USA, Watou Arts Festival – Belgium, Vejle Museum of Art – Denmark, The Nunnery Gallery – UK, The Crystal Ship Streetart Festival – Belgium,…
Schellekens nowadays mainly makes works as part of the collective Schscht, together with Koosje Schmeddes. He also creates works under his own name and is part of the collective Schellekens & Peleman. The collective is best known for their iconic artwork ‘Inflatable Refugee’, a figure of an inflated refugee sailing on a boat from city to city.
Schellekens lives and works in Boechout, Belgium.