“Untold” is a Solo Exhibition of Original Works by Bruges based artist, Stefaan De Croock aka Strook at JLS Gallery, Mexico City from 8th March – 12th April 2019. It is the first showcase of Stefaan De Croock’s iconic wooden sculptures in Mexico City.
About The Show
For his 6th exhibition, Stefaan presents 10 stylized geometrical sculptures, each made from salvaged timber, eroded by time and belonging to a particular location. Stefaan’s assemblage of fragmented wooden remnants and understated color palette suggest facial characteristics and body contours to these unlikely figures.
Despite his characters being purposefully ageless and unidentifiable, there is a captivating familiarity to them. The metamorphosed forms stir our collective anamnesis and “Untold” embodies the emotional scars we all carry with us as part of the human condition.
“Everyone has scars and we have a tendency to hide or cover up these marks. These ‘untold’ marks of time play a crucial aspect in my work, they define a person or an object, they are the foundations of the future.” Stefaan De Crook.
About The Artist
Belgian artist Stefaan De Croock (also known as Strook) studied fine arts and graphics at Saint-Lucas in Ghent. Widely celebrated for his stylized 2D busts, Stefaan creates abstract sculptures from reclaimed materials. Stefaan is also known for his colossal street murals created using the same technique. His work has been exhibited worldwide including Europe, San Francisco, LA, Miami, Canada, Mexico and Thailand.
Stefaan salvages doors and paneling from abandoned locations, places tarnished by weather and bygone decades. His work is fueled by a fascination with each location’s identity – the marks left by those who once inhabited it: the imprint of their sorrows and jubilation, losses and laughter. Stefaan considers the transformation of the patinated, purposeless materials he finds in these desolate places to be a reincarnation and extension of their history.
About The Curator
The JLS Gallery was founded in 1988 in Valle de Bravo. It has been a space for both established artists and for the launching of new artists. In 2016 they opened a new gallery headquarters in Polanco, to offer in Mexico City the same quality and exclusivity offered in Valle de Bravo since 1988.
Stefaan De Croock: website | facebook | instagram
JLS Gallery: website | facebook | instagram
