The practice of Clarisse Bruynbroeck can perhaps best be described as learning to look again, with uninhibited eyes. In her work, Bruynbroeck curiously questions the relation between people and the objects that surround them. With great sensitivity for the poetry of the everyday, she zooms in on mostly banal items that frequently form part of daily routines, but that nevertheless are often neglected. By replicating or imitating for example a hair tie, a glass or a curtain in a completely different material such as silver, soap or aluminum, she undermines their original functions and forces a whole new perspective. What does the thing on its own really look like? How does it feel? How does that which remains every day impact its owner, and vice versa? Bruynbroeck subtly, haptically, knows how to mindfully hush the mindless use of objects; how to capture the fleeting moment; how to make the invisible visible. In all simplicity and imperfection. 

Clarisse Bruynbroeck (b. 1989, BE) lives and works in Antwerp. She graduated in 2012 as a MA Jewelry and Goldsmithing at Sint-Lucas, Antwerp. In 2016, she founded her own jewelry label Woche. In recent years, she exhibited at Universal exports (Antwerp, BE, 2022) Konvooi - Het Entrepot (Brugge, BE, 2019), valerie_traan gallery (Antwerp, BE, 2018), Bikini Art Space (Bazel, CH, 2018) and Kunstenfestival Watou (Watou, BE, 2018) amongst others. In collaboration with Ralph Collier, Clarisse Bruynbroeck also curates exhibitions.

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text by Eline Verstegen

photo by Stephanie De Smet