ANTWERP.- Tim Van Laere Gallery presents its fourth solo show by Tal R, titled Woman Behind Fence. In this exhibition Tal R presents a new body of sculptures, paintings and drawings that explores figures at the moment they seem to fall out of character — bending, collapsing, hiding and transforming into something that remains deliberately difficult to define.

The starting point for the exhibition was an unexpected departure from the artist’s usual way of working. Tal R has traditionally approached painting and sculpture with a fixed plan, beginning with a question or a clear desire. This time, he deliberately did the opposite. He began by gathering discarded materials from his studio — bottles, tubes, old brushes and other remnants — building them into small mountains of waste before assembling, wrapping and covering them with tape and papier-mâché. Out of this process, nameless forms began to emerge. One small pink sculpture, titled Woman looking over Fence, became a turning point: Tal R saw in it the image of a woman looking over a fence. From there, a series of figures developed in his paintings and drawings — women behind cars, sofas, mirrors and other everyday objects. “I loved that I had no real language for what was in front of me. But even though I had no language, I was totally motivated to go down that road. So I started drawing all these women, these women behind things - behind a car, behind a sofa, behind a mirror - and I understood clearly that these very easily have a deep symbolic value. But I tried to avoid the symbolics. I wanted to keep them in this language of wonder” says the artist. Rather than assigning these images a certain symbolic meaning, Tal R follows their mystery. “What is this? What is a woman behind a car?” Remains a question rather than an answer. Rather than taking a particular opinion or developing a theory about these images, Tal invites the viewer to join him in the realm of wonder and accept that we do not know the deep truths about these images but just follow them to wherever they may lead us.

The recurring image of the fence connects the new works to a longstanding interest of the artist in looking from one reality into another. Tal R has previously worked with keyholes, fences and windows — structures that create a boundary while simultaneously offering a glimpse beyond it. Fascinated by the meaning of “the other”, Tal R explores realms and subjects that find themselves outside of our perception of “normal”. This is also visible in his sculptures. They range from figures that are only slightly bent to those that appear to be falling completely apart. This state of collaps is exactly the moment Tal R wants to share with the viewer. To him, being in a state of collapse is not necessary negative. It represents a movement away from what is considered familiar or normal and towards another state of being. Material and process are equally important. Tal R works across papier-mâché, plaster, ceramics, bronze and wood, choosing materials partly according to the amount of time they allow an idea to develop. Some materials enable him to see a sculpture quickly, while casting can require months before the finished form becomes visible. Repeating a sculpture is also part of the process: each version can reveal that what initially seemed to be the central element may not be the most important one after all. At the heart of the exhibition is therefore not a single explanation, but a sustained process of questioning. As Tal R puts it, artists do not make art because they know everything; they follow a road because they are curious about where it leads. Once a work is made, its meaning is no longer exclusively the artist’s. It also belongs to the viewer.

Tal R (°1967. Lives and works in Copenhagen) has exhibited internationally. Institutional solo exhibitions were held at: Glyptoteket, Denmark; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; Odrupgaard, Denmark; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Netherlands; Hastings Contemporary, UK; Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, USA; Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; Pinakothek der Moderne, Germany; Museum Kunstpalast, Germany; Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art, Sweden; Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Germany; Kunsthalle Tübingen, Germany; Holstebro Kunstmuseum, Denmark; Essl Museum, Austria; Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca, Mexico; Centro Cultural dos Correios, Brazil; Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany; Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmark; Horsens Kunstmuseum, Denmark; Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Denmark, among many others. Tal R's work is included in many notable collections worldwide, including Centre Pompidou, France; Museum Kunstpalast, Germany; The Art Institute of Chicago, USA; Essl Museum, Austria; Magasin III Museum & Foundation for Contemporary Art, Sweden; Bonnefanten Museum, Holland; Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Finland, and many private collections.