PRESENT (inspirational objects)
Both the ‘Boule d’or’ and the matchstick (fire and the element sulphur) from the ‘Lucifer’-series (2011-‘12) hinted at the alchemist’s process and attempt ’to produce gold’ as a metaphor to produce something valuable and durable. But to produce ‘gold’, one needs the proper ingredients.
Between 2012 and 2014 I invited fellow artists and cultural practitioners to contribute a meaningful and/or inspirational object as an ingredient to my still life compositions. This resulted in a collection of about 165 ‘objects’ – either self-made or found or proposed (by an instruction), originating from the studios of 150 artists forming a collection of ‘paraphernalia’. These ‘objects’ can be regarded as artistic interventions which are ‘present(ed)’ in my compositions from the projects Paraphernalia, False Friends and Drama Queens.
The project led to an exbibition (2013) at ‘The Garage’ (Center for contemporary art) in Mechelen (curated by Koen Leemans for CC Mechelen) and an accompanying publication with the still life images of the Lucifer and Paraphernalia-series. The publication also featured a black and white index of all interventions/‘objects’, their origins, and (if provided) information on the artist’s motivation.
In December 2016, on the occasion of the exhibition Wim Wauman: Present – over de status van inspirerende objecten in the exhibition space of the Cultural Center, a poster (A1) with an index of all the objects was produced.
Guests featured in the collection: Nel Aerts*, Philip Aguirre y Otegui, Carlos Aires, Nick Andrews, Polly Apfelbaum*, Virginie Bailly, Ruben Bellinkx*, Ben Benaouisse, Otto Berchem*, Guillaume Bijl, Dirk Braeckman, Jessie Brennan, Karel Breugelmans, Ricardo Brey, Koen Broucke, Jean-Marie Bytebier, Paul Casaer, Mil Ceulemans*, Jacques Charlier, Hou Chien Cheng, Fia Cielen, Julie Cockburn*, Sarah Corynen, Anton Cotteleer, Joachim Coucke, Alexandra Crouwers, Erik Croux*, Richard Deacon, Marc De Blieck*, Rik De Boe, Goele De Bruyn, Louis De Cordier*, Peter De Cupere, Delphine Deguislage, Luc Deleu, Hans Demeulenaere, Peter De Meyer, Benjamin Demeyere,* Ward Denys, Franziz Denyz, Jasper De Pagie, Stief Desmet, Lucas Devriendt, Stefaan Dheedene, Marjolijn Dijkman, Maarten Dings, Honoré d’O, Nico Dockx, Stef Driesen*, Rein Dufait, Juan Duque, Piet Hein Eek*, Paul Elliman, Tim Enthoven, Nick Ervinck, Jan Fabre, Benoît Félix, Femmes Regionales, Christophe Floré, Irene Fortuyn, Paul Gees, Jårg Geismar, Joris Ghekiere, Pieterjan Ginckels*, Inge Grognard, Loek Grootjans*, Ane Hjort Guttu*, Karin Hanssen, Kati Heck, Nick Hullegie, Thomas Huyghe, Gudny Rosa Ingimarsdottir, Katrin Kamrau*, Marin Kasimir*, Jean Bernard Koeman, Conny Kuilboer, Wannes Lecompte, Peter Lemmens, Bernd/Stella Lohaus, Mark Manders, Liesbeth Marit, Kris Martin, Katja Mater*, Michèle Matyn, Philip Metten, Wesley Meuris, Sofie Muller, Marc Nagtzaam, Nadia Naveau, Renato Nicolodi, Hans Op de Beeck, Giovanni Ozzola, Ria Pacquée, Mauro Pawlowski, Vasa J. Perović, Ellen Pil, Tinka Pittoors, Peter Rogiers, Guy Rombouts, Maria Roosen*, Valentin Ruhry, Egill Saebjörnsson, Geert Saman, Mira Sanders, Kelly Schacht, Lieven Segers, Nedko Solakov, Merlin Spie, Timothy Stappaerts, Bart Stolle, Jack Strange*, Zin Taylor, Christophe Terlinden, Koen Theys, Emma Thyssen, Tom Tosseyn, Roeland Tweelinckx*, Lukas Vandenabeele*, Koen van den Broek, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Samuel Vanderveken, Kris Van Dessel, Rinus Van de Velde, Bart Van Dijck, Stijn Van Dorpe, Marcel van Eeden*, Lore Vanelslande, Johan Van Geluwe, Ruth van Haren Noman, Egon Van Herreweghe, Herman Van Ingelgem, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Sarah Van Marcke, Koen Van Mechelen, John Van Oers, Jan Vanriet*, Marc Van Tichel, Gert Verhoeven, Pieter Vermeersch, Robin Vermeersch, Angelo Vermeulen, Adriaan Verwée, Didier Volckaert*, Leon Vranken, Jan Wawrzyniak*, Peter Weidenbaum, Sarah Westphal, Bernhard Willhelm, Bill Woodrow en Dirk Zoete.
*Objects contributed to ‘False Friends’ series (2014-2015) as published in ‘Wim Wauman: False Friends’ (Brussels, 2015: Roberto Polo Gallery), pp. 66-67.