Introduction

To stand amongst the elements and to interpret what one knows is the first overview exhibition in Belgium of the work of British artist Ryan Gander (born 1976). In this exhibition, the various aspects of his multifaceted oeuvre can be discovered. His work can take the form of an action, a sculpture, an installation, but also a thought, a promise or an encounter. Ryan Gander likes to play with absurd logic and surprising insights about himself and his surrounding environment. Nothing is what you think you know, and all his works resemble puzzle pieces of which it may be feared that ultimately they will never fit perfectly together.

His imagination and mental leaps take many directions and are difficult to grasp in a specific and recognizable style or shape. The common thread in the work of Ryan Gander is the sincere generosity toward the viewer: Gander provokes us again and again to let go of our ingrained expectations and to let our imagination work to further develop the storylines he puts forward. Hence an exhibition by Ryan Gander requires great attention to detail. Not everyone can always fathom everything, but everyone will recognize different elements and give them meaning.