1971 Born in Moeskroen, Belgium
2008-2015 Studied at Academie voor Beeldende Kunst Gent, Belgium
Lives and works in Ghent
Groep exhibitions
1996 Poëzie Matinee, Gent (BE)
1997 Paul Van Ostayen, Biekorf bibliotheek Brugge (BE)
1998 De Poëtische Lijn, Bibliotheek Oostkamp (BE)
1999 Guido Gezelle, Biekorf bibliotheek Brugge (BE)
1999 Salle-Amie, Beernem (BE)
2000 in het alfabed, Loppem - Brugge (BE)
2001 Letters•Wo(o)rden•zinnen. Rijswijk, Nederland.
2005 Arno Anders, Gent (BE)
2006 tuin van steen, Leuven (BE)
2007 Kunstroute Wor(l)ds, Brugge (BE)
2009 Elsschot, Antwerpen (BE)
2012 Ogen-blikkken, PC Guislain, Gent (BE)
2013 Het Witte Dorp, Lissewege (BE)
2015 Rauw, Gent (BE)
2020 You are not an island, Gent (BE)
2021 Fragments, Gent (BE)
2021 niemand is een eiland, kunstenfestival Damme (BE)
2022 Movements, Gent (BE)
2023 Pàn, Gent (BE)
2024 KidmieIV, Schellebelle (BE)
solo exhibitions
2024 We ask because nothing is certain, galerie drie, Gent (BE)
Christophe Annys maakt kunst om bij stil te staan.
13 april 2024 - Tekst Kathleen Ramboer
Kunstenaar Christophe Annys is ontroerd en beroerd door de wereld om zich heen. Met zijn kunst weet hij woordeloos de kijker te treffen, een ervaring mee te geven en een poëtische vinger op de wonden van onze maatschappij te leggen.
De werken van Christophe Annys zijn als puzzelstukken die in elkaar passen met als rode draad de kwetsbaarheid van mens, natuur en maatschappij. Toch staat hij positief in het leven.
Spreken over kunst, over zijn beeldhouwkunst, brengt een risico met zich mee. Door erover te praten gaat de poëzie van een werk vaak verloren. Zijn werk heeft het overleefd.
Zijn kunst ‘is een boek dat nog niet af is’ dixit Christophe Annys
De kunstenaar verhaalde me hoe het allemaal begon en evolueerde. Tijdens het interview maakte ik kennis met een kunstenaar ‘pur sang’.
(Translation by ChatGTP)
Artist Christophe Annys is moved and disturbed by the world around him. Through his art, he is able to touch the viewer wordlessly, offering them an experience and poetically pointing out the wounds of our society.
Christophe Annys’ works are like puzzle pieces that fit together, with the red thread being the vulnerability of humanity, nature, and society. Yet, he maintains a positive outlook on life.
Talking about art, and specifically his sculpture, carries a risk. Discussing it often causes the poetry of the work to be lost. His work has survived.
His art "is a book that is not yet finished," says Christophe Annys.
The artist shared with me how it all began and evolved. During the interview, I encountered an artist "pur sang" (of the highest form).
Kunstpoort: What event led you to become an artist?
Christophe Annys: I wasn’t a good student. I wanted to attend the Sint-Lucas art school in Ghent, but my parents said no. Ghent was too far from Bruges. I graduated as a printer, but that profession wasn’t for me. By chance, I met Pieter Boudens and learned the craft of letter carving from him for two years. I also worked occasionally as a freelancer for the sculptor Karel Van Roy from Beernem. He was very important to me. He sharpened my knowledge of stones and techniques. I moved to Ghent and started my own business as a letter carver, which I did for 25 years. However, the last 10 years lacked enthusiasm.
Kunstpoort: Was it a lack of challenges?
Christophe Annys: No, that wasn’t the issue. I longed for more than just the craftsmanship. Spatial thinking is something I was born with, I think —why shouldn’t I become a sculptor? I left my job behind and decisively chose the art world. I enthusiastically decided to take lessons at the Academy of Ghent, adult education at Offerlaan. Art must be learned. Some people inherit a sense of art from their parents, who are also artists, or they grow up in an art-loving family. I’ve desired to be an artist my whole life. Only at the academy did I learn what art is and what it means to be an artist.
Kunstpoort: Initially, you worked figuratively, sculptures, heads... do you think you’ll ever return to figurative work, or will you continue with your installations, assemblages, and more conceptual art?
Christophe Annys: I wanted to leave behind the craft-based approach. I threw myself into the rough actions of sculpture. It was supposed to be wild and raw. Working with a grinder, leaving marks, fighting with stone—I loved it. At the academy, I created two figures using rebar and other materials, two destructive figures engaged in battle. It was a way to banish the ghosts of craftmenship. Whether I’ll ever work figuratively again, I have no idea. Who knows?
Kunstpoort: Where does your love for Carrara marble come from? Where do you get your marble from? Do you choose it personally? I know artists often travel to Italy to select their marble.
Christophe Annys: It’s a logical consequence of my current job. I work three days a week for a company that manufactures stone countertops for kitchens. So, I’m at the source and can acquire industrial marble. It’s a job without mental obligations or worries, which allows me to keep my mind free for the creative process in my studio.
Kunstpoort: You also draw and paint on marble: ‘painted landscapes’. Did you have a specific landscape in mind when creating these works?
Christophe Annys: First, there were spatial drawings on marble, later the paintings. Last year, we traveled through Laos, through fantastic mountain landscapes, and I felt the urge to work in my studio. Once home, I spotted the etching ink from my daughter and eagerly got to work. My photos inspired me. To ensure durability, I fix the ink.
Kunstpoort: Is painting on marble a sideline, or is it something you want to continue?
Christophe Annys: I have no idea.
Kunstpoort: You also created a work for a public space, for a daycare in Deurne. Public works are often challenging because you have to consider the space, passersby, visitors, weather conditions, durability... Do you enjoy this kind of challenge?
Christophe Annys: This work in public space is an exception. I submitted a proposal, and it was approved. I filled the space with stones in various volumes and materials such as stainless steel, marble, stone... and next to them, I placed four stepping stones. In this way, I created a tactile environment that encourages interaction. The stones and stepping stones provoke and stimulate the child to play by sliding, climbing, jumping, falling, and getting up again.
Kunstpoort: The use of stones reminds me of an installation of yours: the igloo tents with a stone hidden inside. This was displayed at IJsberg, Damme for ‘No One Is An Island’.
Christophe Annys: This work was not originally intended to be a permanent piece. It was more of a therapeutic work, part of a processing journey. After visiting the refugee camps on the northern French coast, I was deeply moved. As part of my personal processing, I draped a gold blanket made from survival blankets over a bunker, once part of the Atlantic Wall and now a silent witness to a dark past. On one hand, a survival blanket keeps hypothermic people warm; on the other, it has this golden sheen—gold, a symbol of our wealthy Western world. I also designed small tents from plastic shopping bags, symbolizing a disposable and capitalist society that maintains inequality. Inside the tent, I placed a stone from the beaches where refugees set up camp. Later, a larger tent was created for Damme.
Kunstpoort: In your marble sculptures, you repeatedly integrate the survival blanket. For example, there is the fragile house of cards in Carrara marble, placed on a survival blanket. Does this suggest that our world is falling apart like a house of cards? A precious material like Carrara marble placed against a survival blanket, a means of survival. Your works are eye-openers. Can art contribute to an awareness of the issues in this world? Is your art socially engaged?
Christophe Annys: I’m not a rebel. I don’t stand on barricades. But it is the duty of an artist to reflect the time in which they live through their work. My sculptures and installations are more reflective, not pretentious -I hope-, questioning the world today.
Kunstpoort: On your website, I read the following in ‘Fragments’: "Besides the social theme around ‘fragments,’ this work reveals a surprising dilemma: create or destroy? As an artist, I am convinced I am creating something here. The landscape that spontaneously forms when the stone hits the ground. As a non-artist, I see a stone fall and break. Something we, boys, find so fascinating." Why is this work, and this performance, art for you? Isn’t this action rather destructive, the destruction of beauty?
Christophe Annys: The broken marble is an intervention by the artist, the result of a performance. The pieces of marble represent the Arctic with its melting and broken ice caps, caused by human actions—here, the result of a performance. There’s also "reconstructing," where I pieced the broken plate back together, smoothed the pieces like cushions, and glued them to a survival blanket.
Kunstpoort: In the entirety of your story, I see traces of fatalism and optimism. Which prevails?
Christophe Annys: I am definitely not fatalistic and show art within its context.
Kunstpoort: When I visited your website and social media, I noticed several works: ‘Are We Still OK?’, ‘The Other Side of the Window’, and ‘Ataraxia,’ the installation with igloo tents made from recycled materials. They not only convey vulnerability but also have a very poetic quality. Do you consider your art to be poetic?
Christophe Annys: I try to create poetic art that at least resonates, is appealing, and surprising. "Borderless Perspective," a golden sail floating through the space of the abandoned church of Meulestede in Ghent, ignited my vivid imagination, making me daydream. In my creative mind, I see an immense, 50-meter-long golden sail swelling up, swaying in the wind, rocking to its rhythm, and lifting the audience into a lyrical ecstasy. Maybe someday I’ll find a suitable, large enough location. For now, I’m working on smaller projects for practical reasons.
Kunstpoort: How does an idea or concept come to life? Are you inspired by an experience, a photo, an event...?
Christophe Annys: Everything and everyone can inspire me, usually unconsciously. Our travels fuel an interest in other cultures, a passion I share with my wife, who is a fashion designer. For example, once we were in Japan, and I was gifted a calligraphy workshop by Hiroshi Ueta (@hiroshi_ueta on Instagram). While making preliminary studies, I suddenly discovered the spots of a Japanese artist. I have a soft spot for the constallation art of Sarah Sze. Maybe, unknowingly, her art influences mine. In some works, emotion plays a role, like when visualizing the refugee issue. Travel experiences and photos can play a part.
Kunstpoort: Does Ghent, your hometown, inspire you to create art?
Christophe Annys: Not really. When you travel, you enter a different atmosphere, away from the everyday, outside the work environment. That makes you more receptive to creativity.
Kunstpoort: When a piece is finished, what do you feel? Satisfaction? Doubt? Are you already thinking about your next project?
Christophe Annys: Usually, I feel convinced. If not, I’ll rework the piece or make a new version. When I’m dissatisfied with a painting on marble, I can simply rub off the ink and start over.
Kunstpoort: Do you think it’s important to exhibit your work?
Christophe Annys: I enjoy working on my art, and I feel the need to exhibit. I owe it to my works.
Kunstpoort: What is real art? Do you have a vision on this?
Christophe Annys: No one has a definitive answer to that. Art should be seen in its context and requires integration into society. There’s also the question: Can you use elements of art that belong to the culture of a minority, like the Inuit, Native Americans, or the first inhabitants of Australia, outside their original context? Is cultural appropriation acceptable? When are you inspired, and when are you appropriating something? Art must primarily be able to move you, touch you.
Kunstpoort: Antony Gormley, anthropologist and sculptor, claims, "Actually, art is our way of stopping time, which keeps going. Through art, we put something into the world that, as it were, immortalizes us. That ‘something’ says, ‘This is who I am, I was here, and this is what I leave behind to show that humans can stop time.’ Can you relate to this?
Christophe Annys: Undoubtedly. My drive is to leave something behind, to mean something to someone. But seeking validation like many artists on social media is something I hesitant to do.
Kunstpoort: Finally, if you could collaborate with any artist to create a joint artwork, who would you choose?
Christophe Annys: I really don’t know. So many artists that I admire. Maybe an artist from a different discipline? A performer might be the most suitable because performance is fleeting, not permanent, as a counterpoint to my sculptures.
Leaving the studio of artist Christophe Annys, a thought comes to mind: Much of today’s art will be forgotten. Not because it’s bad art, but because no one stops to reflect on it. Here lives an artist who is working on a body of work where all the pieces relate to one another. It is a coherent whole, where one piece evokes associations with another, in terms of form, material, and, most importantly, content. This is an artist with vision and social involvement—an artist of our time. Quietly, he continues to work, longing to share his work with the world. Perhaps, as Antony Gormley puts it, he will leave art behind that proves humans can still stop time. I hope his body of work doesn’t fade into history, but instead, endures and immortalizes him. His art keeps this thought alive.
voorwoord voor "We Ask Because Nothing is Certain"
mei 2024- Guy Dedapper, Galerie Drie (Gent)
Goede middag iedereen,
Samen met Wendy heet ik u allen van harte welkom op de opening van deze solo expo van Christophe Annys, met als titel “We ask because nothing is certain.
Een tiental jaar geleden leerde ik Christophe kennen op de Academie in Gent, waar we allebei de opleiding “Beeldhouwen” volgden. Christophe werkte toen als letterkapper, maar zijn ambitie lag elders, hij wou niet alleen een goede stielman of ambachtsman zijn. Hij wou meer, hij wou kunstenaar worden. Terwijl ik in de les bezig was met klei en gips en mallen leerde maken, was Christophe buiten bezig met het zwaardere werk. Grote stukken blauwe hardsteen ging hij te lijf met de slijpschijf en de pneumatische hamer. En zo toverde hij monumentale beelden tevoorschijn. Reeds toen al was ik fan van zijn werken.
Het is mij dan ook een eer en een genoegen om nu de werken van Christophe hier te kunnen tentoonstellen bij Galerie Drie.
Ik zie Christophe als een heel bescheiden, soms zelfs te bescheiden persoon. Praten over zijn eigen werk doet hij niet zo graag, Het risico bestaat nl. dat op die manier de poëzie van zijn werk zou verloren gaan. Toch wist Kathleen Ramboer hem onlangs te strikken voor een zeer boeiend interview voor “Kunstpoort”.
En ik lees jullie nu graag een klein stukje voor uit dat interview. Kunstenaar Christophe Annys is ontroerd en beroerd door de wereld om zich heen. Met zijn kunst weet hij woordeloos de kijker te treffen, een ervaring mee te geven en een poëtische vinger op de wonden van onze maatschappij te leggen. De werken van Christophe Annys zijn als puzzelstukken die in elkaar passen met als rode draad de kwetsbaarheid van mens, natuur en maatschappij.
Met de titel van deze expo roept Christophe ons op tot introspectie en reflectie. “We ask because nothing is certain” weerspiegelt de fundamentele menselijke drang om te begrijpen, te onderzoeken en te bevragen. Christophe neemt ons mee in een intrigerende dialoog tussen vorm en inhoud. Hij daagt ons uit om verder te kijken dan het oppervlakkige, om de diepere lagen van betekenis te ontdekken die verborgen liggen in zijn sculpturen, installaties en schilderijen.
Christophe nodigt ons als het ware uit om vragen te stellen, om te zoeken naar antwoorden, om te worstelen met het onbekende.
Laten we vanavond samen genieten van de kunst van Christophe en laten we even stil staan bij de vragen die hij ons stelt, want inderdaad, in een wereld van onzekerheid, is niets belangrijker dan de zoektocht naar betekenis en begrip.
Ik wens jullie allemaal nog een fijne namiddag/avond en geef nu graag even het woord aan Christophe.
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Good afternoon, everyone,
Together with Wendy, I would like to warmly welcome you all to the opening of this solo exhibition by Christophe Annys, titled "We ask because nothing is certain."
About ten years ago, I met Christophe at the Academy in Ghent, where we both took the "Sculpture" program. At that time, Christophe worked as a lettercarver, but his ambition lay elsewhere—he didn’t just want to be a skilled craftsman. He wanted more; he wanted to be an artist. While I was working with clay and plaster, learning to make molds in class, Christophe was outside working on the heavier tasks. He took large pieces of blue limestone and tackled them with an angle grinder and pneumatic hammer. And from that, he conjured monumental sculptures. Even then, I was already a fan of his work.
It is therefore both an honor and a pleasure to be able to exhibit Christophe’s works here at Galerie Drie.
I see Christophe as a very modest person, sometimes even too modest. He doesn’t really like talking about his own work, because there’s a risk that the poetry of his work might be lost in the process. However, Kathleen Ramboer recently managed to persuade him to participate in a very engaging interview for "Kunstpoort."
I would now like to read a short passage from that interview:
"Artist Christophe Annys is deeply moved and disturbed by the world around him. With his art, he is able to reach the viewer wordlessly, offering them an experience and placing a poetic finger on the wounds of our society. The works of Christophe Annys are like puzzle pieces that fit together, with the red thread being the vulnerability of humanity, nature, and society. His works invite us to reflect on our world, to examine our position within it, and to explore the fragile connections that bind us all."
With the title of this exhibition, Christophe calls us to introspection and reflection. "We ask because nothing is certain" reflects the fundamental human urge to understand, to explore, and to question. Christophe takes us on an intriguing journey between form and content. He challenges us to look beyond the surface and to uncover the deeper layers of meaning hidden within his sculptures, installations, and paintings.
In a way, Christophe invites us to ask questions, to search for answers, and to grapple with the unknown.
Let’s enjoy Christophe’s art together this evening, and let’s take a moment to reflect on the questions he asks us, because, indeed, in a world of uncertainty, nothing is more important than the search for meaning and understanding.
I wish you all a pleasant afternoon/evening, and now I would like to give the floor to Christophe.