Galerij Weerlicht presents Elysium, a duo-exhibition bringing together the work of Bruno V. Roels and Stief DeSmet.
The title refers to the mythical paradise of Greek antiquity, an imagined place of harmony where nature, memory and longing converge. In this exhibition, Elysium becomes less a destination than a question: what does paradise look like today, and why do we keep searching for it?
Together, Roels and DeSmet construct a poetic terrain between reality and myth. Palm trees, animals, landscapes and symbols appear as echoes of an ancient promise: the persistent human desire to imagine, build, and perhaps briefly inhabit a place like Elysium.
Private viewings Friday 11/09/2026 on request
Opening:
Sunday 13.09.2026 — 14h - 18h
In the presence of both artists.
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Open Saturdays and Sundays, 14:00–18:00
13 September – 4 October 2026
Weekdays by appointment
Stief DeSmet
Stief DeSmet approaches this longing from another angle. Working across sculpture, painting and installation, he investigates the complex relationship between nature and culture. His works often evoke archetypes, myths and fragments of an imagined landscape, where the desire for an ideal, untamed world meets the realities of contemporary life.
Stief DeSmet
Bruno V. Roels
Bruno Roels divides his time between writing and photographing. He considers the act of printing (turning a photograph into a tangible object) as important as the act of photographing itself. He photographs almost nonstop, documenting his entire life, building a sizable archive. In his dark room he uses that archive to explore the analogue photographic process. Rather than trying to make ‘the perfect gelatin silver print’ he assumes that all prints are perfect and gives all variations equal attention.
He’s looking for poetry, and photographic truth, in sequences and fluctuations. Details in his photographs may become lead motives in bigger compositions, and obvious subject matter is reduced to abstract information through numerous reiterations.
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In collaboration with Gallery Fifty One