Yves Malfliet (born 1962 in Hamme, lives and works in Dendermonde) creates monumental installations, ready-mades, ceramic sculptures, as well as performances and happenings. His (ceramic) works are characterized by an unbridled imaginative combination of baroque and kitschy elements, which just as easily come from his own fingers as they come from the thrift shop.
His works are like contemporary fairy tales, balancing between naivety, sacredness and mysticism, where the idea transcends craftsmanship, but also the pleasure in making the works shines through.
My work is intriguing,unexpected and anecdotic . The works radiates the pleasure the artist experienced in creating it. But behind the mask of the amusement sometimes hide a great deal of sarcasm,bitter reality and narrative absurdity : I hold a mirror in front of the viewer’s face. Shapes are brought together like a sort of « pièce-montée ». By using the porcelain « figurines » I integrate elements that belong to the common people’s culture. My works are like a contemporary fairy-tale (Antoine de Saint-Exépury), balancing between naïvity, sacrality and mysticism, whereby the conceptual transcends the craftsmanship.
– Yves Malfliet
Studies
Universidad de La Laguna – Tenerife -Spain 1990
National Higher Institute of Fine Arts -Antwerp – Belgium 1988-1991
Royal Academy of Fine Arts – Antwerp – Belgium 1982-1987
Didactic experience
1991 – : Head of the section of ceramics from the BKO – Art school Overijse – Belgium
1992-2002: Professor on the Royal Academy for Fine Arts – section of Ceramics Antwerp – Belgium
Exhibitions
1987: Winner “Prize of Buggenhout” for Sculptural Ceramics- Buggenhout- Belgium
1988: Winner “Provincial Prize of East – Flanders” for ceramics Gent – Belgium
1989: “Concorso Internazionale della Ceramica D’Arte”, Faenza- Italy
1990: Winner “Kunst-Jugendgestalte”, work awarded with the “Bavarian State Award “: Munich – Germany
1992: Selected as member of the Department of Arts & Design of the Flemish Flemish Community (V.I.Z.O.): Brussels – Belgium
1992: Open air exhibition: “Beeldig Prinsenpark” curators Flor Bex en Jef Geys, Prinsenpark- Retie – 1993: Winner “Bienal Internacional de Ceramica Artistica”, Aveiro – Portugal
1993: Clay-Art in the Benelux: Municipal Museum Schiedam – Holland, Schloss Bourglinster – Luxemburg (group), Centre for Plastic Arts “De Oosterpoort Groningen – Holland,P.M.M.K. Ostend – Belgium
1995: Triennial voor Design, Museum for Decorative Arts: Gent
1996: Flemish Cheer, “De Brakke Grond”, Amsterdam – Holland
1997: Invited Artist with one-man-show on the: “Bienal Internacional de Ceramica Artistica” , Aveiro – Portugal – 2000 : Winner “Prize of Heist-op-den Berg” for Sculptural Ceramics -Belgium
2000: Biennal Art-Terre, Comines-Warneton – France – Belgium
2000 -2003-2006-2009: collaboration/installations on the International Triennial “TEMPUS ARTI” for Contemporary Art, Landen – 2009: curator Jan Hoet
2009: 9th International Prize of Contemporary Ceramics: Cerco Aragon – Muel – Zaragoza – Spain – 2009: 4th International Biennial of Ceramics Ciudad de Talavera-Toledo – Spain
2010: 10th International Prize of Contemporary Ceramics: Cerco Aragon – Muel – Zaragoza – Spain 2010: 30th Concurso Internacional de Cerámica de l’Alcora: Spain
2010: European Triennial of Ceramics and Glass- Mons – Belgium
2011: 11th International Prize of Contemporary Ceramics: Cerco Aragon – Muel – Zaragoza – Spain – 2012: Winner: Biennial Contemporary Ceramics NVK – Zeewolde – Holland
2012: Finalist: 12th International Prize of Contemporary Ceramics: Cerco Aragon – Muel – Zaragoza – Spain
2012: International art fair: Ceramics Biennial of Andenne -Belgium
2012: Taiwan Ceramics Biennial: – Taipei County Yingge Ceramics Museum – Kaohsiung Fine Art Museum
2013: Castle “le Paige” Herentals: curator Guy van Leemput in coöperation with Pulse Gallery-Brussels en Gallery Terra-Delft-Holland
2013: Musée de la Piscine-Roubaix -France
2022: Ceramic Art Andenne, Belgium
2022: Wouter De Bruycker Fine Arts & Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
