Brussels, Belgium, 1997

“LAb[au] is a group of artists located in Brussels, active since 1996. Their artworks share characteristics with conceptual art, system art and concrete art – through actualised with contemporary materials, techniques and formats. They have a strong tendency towards a reductionist, serial and elementary language, manifested in their use of colour, geometry, light and motion. They question contemporary aesthetics, confronting them with algorithmic logic.

(…)

The reading of LAb[au]’s projects according to modes follows and expresses the way the work had been structured throughout the last 18 years of artistic practice. These modes have crystallized from both research – theoretical, experimental and visual – and the physical realization of projects. These two aspects are present in the studio name, combining the phonetic pronunciation, lab as place of research, with the German word bau, meaning construction. Further, it reflects the origin of the studio as an architectural office, and influence still present in today’s design work. This spatial research remains central and is embodied in such formats as art installations and architectural integrations.

LAb[au] is mainly known for its installations, though their prective and enlarged over the past five years to include art objects and integrations. As such, they have been extending their practice from self-commissioned artworks to those commissioned for public or semi-public space. The installations are the most proven format. They are usually presented in the framework of a festival or institutional, temporary exhibitions. They are often exhibited in places with historical or symbolic meaning. Integrations are permanent artworks originating from commissions or competitions for art in public and semi-public spaces. These projects are specifically designed for the context and are defined by a strong architectural imprint. There the main focus is to integrate the artistic proposal into the spatial and contextual framework, suggesting a synergy between art and architecture.”

LAb[au], exhibition catalogue “rouge, vert, bleu, blanc”, 2015