LAb[au], laboratory for Art and Urbanism, is an artist group founded in 1997 in Brussels, Belgium. In their practice, the artists investigate the relationship between art and language through written words and other forms of coded language—semantics and signs—semiotics. Likewise, they take a linguistic approach, employing information and communication science in the field of art. Likewise, LAb[au] considers art an epistemology based on a linguistic approach,https://www.lab-au.com/biography that further examines the influence of advanced technologies in the forms, methods, and content of art.2002, Spark-Online Magazine Version 31.0 connective inter.face—archite[x]tures Members are: Manuel Abendroth and Jérôme Decock. Former members were: co-founder Naziha Mestaoui (until 2000), Grégoire Verhaegen (until 2003), Pieter Heremans (until 2006), Alexandre Plennevaux (until 2009) and Els Vermang (until 2022).
From the name 'LAb[au]' one can read it as ‘LAB’ (standing for an experimental approach) or ‘BAU’ (ger. = construction / providing a link to BauhausSusanne Maßmann in: Exhibition Catalogue of 'Young Belgian Painter Awards', Brussels 2009, both a reference to the group's approach to work.F. Massad & A. Guerrero Yeste in: Experimenta Magazine #45, page 74, July 2003, Madrid The artist name plays on the difference between the phonetic and the written understanding, and as such underlines the group interest in the relation between art and language.
Laboratory for Art and Urbanism With a background in architecture its members and projects are concerned with the construct of ‘space’ and the way it can be planned, experienced, and conceptualised in the Information Age.'Bright, architectural illumination and light installations' by Frame Publishers & Die Gestalten Verlag, 2008 The attention lies in the relation between architecture, light and advanced technologies.Tasarim - Visual Arts Magazine #168, February 2007
The projects of LAb[au] deal with processes and systems based on different rules.Yves Bernard & Domenico Quaranta: 'Holyfire: art of the digital age', Brussels, 2008 This method is determined by the technological and artistic parameters and qualified by the artists as metadesign.Maurizio Vitta, 'Agora, Dreams and Visions', published in: l'ARCA nr. 176, December 2002, Milan, Italy
MediaRuimte
The alliance between theory and practice motivated the group to found the gallery 'MediaRuimte' in the city centre of Brussels in 2003. The gallery stands for LAb[au]'s understanding as a collaborative art agency engaging in a trans-disciplinary work,Club Transmediale: 'CTM 07 catalogue', Berlin 2007 being expressed through a program ranging not only over exhibitions, screenings and audiovisual performances, but also to conferences, artist-residencies and workshops.Liesbeth Huybrechts, 'Crossover: Kunst, media en technologie in Vlaanderen', BAM & Belgian Lannoo Campus, 2008 Featured artists range from Manfred Mohr to Nicolas Schöffer, Casey Reas, Limiteazero and Frank Bretschneider to Mika Vainio. on Mika Vainio Exhibition at Mediaruimte The space closed in 2012.
Société
In 2015 the members of LAb[au], Els Vermang and Manuel Abendroth, founded the exhibition platform Société to continue the experience of Mediaruimte, which closed in 2012. The new platform's focus was to examine the heritage of conceptual art on actual art practice through thematic group shows bringing both generations into dialogue. The exhibitions explored themes such as: Time, Measurements, Xerox art, and protocols, among many others.
Solo-Shows 2024 : painting, writing, calculating, transcoding, Dan Galeria, Sao Paulo 09.08. - 05.10.24 2024 : POSSIBLES | PROBABLES, Botanique, Brussels, 29.05. - 04.08.24 2024 : FARBEN | FERNAB, Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels 21.05. - 28.07.24 2022 : Zeit Zeichen, Zeichen Zeit, Kunstmuseum Heidenheim 19.11.2022 - 26.02.2023 2020 : Ce mouvement qui deplace les lignes, Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels, 26.05 - 29.08.2020 2020 : yes, no: perhaps, Mario Mauroner Contemporary art, Vienna 18.01 - 21.03.2020 2019 : If Then Else, Casino Luxembourg Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg City, 27.09.-05.01.2020 2017 : Langage codé, Galerie Fontana, Amsterdam 04.11 - 18.02.2017 2016 : Langage codé, La Patinoire/Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels 01.09 - 22.10.2016 2016 : Calculations, Permutations, Notations—The Mayor Gallery / Project Space Bermondsey, London, 13.01 - 31.01.2016 2015 : rouge, vert, bleu, blanc, Centre des arts d’Enghien-les-Bains, Paris, 09.04 - 28.06.2015 2014 : zéro | un - Galerie Denise René, Paris, 06.02 - 22.03.2014 2014 : writing, drawing, painting, DAM Gallery, Berlin, 31.01.-02.04.2014 2014 : binary waves, Le Centquatre in the context of the public art program, Paris 16.02 - 23.03.2014 2011 : Tessel, Musée de Moulage, Lyon 08.06 - 13.07.2011 2011 : framework f5x5x3 - Aubette, Ososphère Strassbourg 11.02 - 20.02.2011 2011 : diffraction, TAG institute, The Hague 07.12.2010 - 17.01.2011 2010 : m0t1v, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne 08.01 - 12.02.2010 2009 : time | emit - DAM Gallery, Berlin 21.02 - 28.03.2009 2009 : fLUX - Galerie Roger Tator, Lyon 23.04 - 01.07.2009 2009 : m0t1v - Galerie Numeriscausa, Paris 30.04 - 06.06.2009 2008 : 16n framework f5x5x3 - Tschumi Pavillon, Groningen 18.12.2008 - 15.02.2009 2006 : space, 12m4s, Pierre Pergé, Le Grand Sablon, Brussels 07.09. - 17.09.2006 2005 : liquid space, Le Brakke Grond, Amsterdam 06.05 - 16.05.2005 2002 : eSPACE, Le Blac, Theatre Marni, Brussels, 17.05 - 26.05.2002 2000 : iSKIN, Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Le Louvre, Paris 10.10 - 29.10.2000
Group exhibitions (selection) 2024 : Languages et Imaginaires, Gaité Lyrique, Paris, 02.09 - 06.09.24 2023 : The Seduction of the Bureaucrat, De Garage, Mechelen 12.03 – 04.05.2023 2023 : AXIOM#2, MAL ZEIT _ ZEIT MALEN, KBK, Brussels 11.02 – 26.02.23 2022 : The tallest towers start off the ground, DAN Galeria, São Paulo, 24.09 - 22.12.2022 2022 : On the Lockout, Fondation CAB, Brussels, 06.09.2022 – 06.01.2023 2022 : PEINTURE: OBSOLESCENCE DÉPROGRAMMÉE, Hospice Saint-Roch d'Issoudun 01.02 – 08.05.2022 2021 : X - FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou, 19.05 - 02.02.2022 2021 : Mika Vanio retrospective, KIASMA, Helsinki 20.8.2020–10.1.2021 2019 : Imaging Cities, Song Eun Art Space, Seoul, 25.03 - 08.06.2019 2019 : D’un soleil à l’autre, Base Sous-marine, Bordeaux 08.03 - 19.05.2019 2019 : Action <> Reaction, Kunsthal, Rotterdam 22.09.2018 - 20.01.2019 2018 : A Brave New World, MAAT, Lisbon, 22.10 - 28.10.2018 2018 : Untitled (monochrome), Richard Taittinger, New York 01.03 - 29.04.2018 2017 : Art Pavilion, Grand Palais World Exhibition, Astana 10.06 - 10.09.2017 2016 : Eutopia, Museum M, Leuven 20.10.2016 - 17.01.2017 2016 : Terminal P, La Panacée, Montpellier 17.06 - 28.08.2016 2016 : ACT, Asia Culture Center, Gwangju 25.11 - 31.07.16 2016 : Digital abstraction, Haus der elektronischen Künste, Basel 07.04 - 22.05.16 2016 : Exo-Evolution, ZKM, Karlsruhe 30.10 - 28.02.16 2014 : Physicality, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal 23.05.-01.06.2014 2014 : Artist / Novelist, MOMA, New York, 08.01 - 31.03.2014 2014 : Noir et Blanc, Galerie Denise René, Paris 17.01 - 28.02.2014 2013 : Vasarely Hommage, Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels 17.10 - 19.01.2013 2013 : Poème Numérique, Atomium, Brussels, 22.06.-20.09.2013 2013 : space oddity, Le Grand Hornu CID, Hornu 18.11 - 10.03.2013 2013 : Noise, Biennale di Venezia, Venice, 30.05 - 20.09.2013 2012 : Artificial garden, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, 04.12 - 23.12.2012 2011 : Tender Buttons, Overpoort, Ghent 30.11 - 18.12.2011 2010 : West Arch, Ludwig Forum, Aachen 12.09 - 14.11.2010 2010 : From kinetic to digital art, Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provenance, 02.06 - 11.07.2010 2010 : Digital Nights, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore 16.09 - 26.09.2010 2009 : Young Belgium Painters Award, Bozar, Brussels 25.06 - 13.09.2009 2009 : Holy Fire, iMAL, Brussels 18.04 - 30.04.2008 2008 : Emocao Art.ificial, Itau, Sao Paolo, 01.06 - 14.09.2008 2006 : Neo-beginners, TENT / Witte de With, Rotterdam 31.08 - 22.09.2006 2003 : Urban lab, Bauhaus Dessau, Dessau 10.10 - 18.10.2003 2003 : Polygone Den[c]ity, New Museum, New York 23.01 - 23.02.2003 2000 : La Beauté, Louvre, Paris 10.10 - 29.10.2000 1998 : transArchitectures 02 / 03, NAI, Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam 18.11 - 12.12.1998
Public artworks 2028 : Source of Uncertainty, Podiumkunstengebouw, Leuven, Belgium 2026 : listen to the universe, RTT building Kortrijk, Belgium 2025 : fLUx, Union Station, Toronto, Canada 2024 : XXXXXXXX, Stadtbibliothek Heidenheim, Germany 2021 : Kontexte, crossover ‘Loredana Marchi‘ Brussels, Belgium 2019 : Zäit Wuert, Casino Luxembourg, Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg 2019 : Palimpsest, Wijkpark De Porre, Ghent, Belgium 2019 : 365, De Hoorn, Leuven, Belgium 2016 : 365, Quai 10 and La Vigie, Charleroi, Belgium 2016 : Lux Aeternae, AZF Mémorial, Toulouse, France 2014 : 10e-15, Centre de recherche Femto, Temis Science, Besançon, France 2014 : SiloScope, Quai Jules Guesde, Vitry-sur-Seine, Paris, France 2009 : mosaique 15x26, Maison de la Mécatronique, Annecy-le-Vieux, France
Permanent artworks in semi-public collections
2021 : yes, no : perhaps - Hager Stiftung, Blieskastel, Germany 2017 : origamiSquare 59 squares - Linklaters, Madrid, Spain 2017 : origamiCeiling 160 Rhombi - Reynaerts, Duffel, Belgium 2017 : origamiCeiling 20 squares 54 kites - Cosnova, Frankfurt, Germany 2017 : origamiPenrose 71 kites and darts - Aegon Amersfoort, The Netherlands 2016 : origamiSquare 192 squares - Linklaters, Brussels, Belgium 2016 : SwarmDots - Fidelity, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg 2015 : chronoPrints - Zebrastraat, Ghent, Belgium
References
External links
MediaRuimte, LAb[au]'s gallery for electronic arts in downtown Brussels: Publication in Creative Review Magazine about the work of LAb[au] March 2008 [DAM]Berlin profiling the work of LAb[au] LAB[au] interview on Digital Art Mag (2010, p 38-48):