Steve Schepens (BE, 1979, Lives and works in Berlin) is fascinated by the invi- sible and the transitory. Using various artistic techniques he depicts the empti- ness in general and the emptiness of an artistic image in peculiar. The intertextual nature of Schepens’ work, his fascination with philosophy along with high-brow and pop-culture receive even more obvious manifestation in his choice of titles. They are ironic and unexpected. His recent work entitled CHEZ WOLF refers to Schepens’ former HORROR series (between 2002 – 2009 all his work was entitled HORROR with additional number and/or subtitle). Schepens constructed this work out of different original wooden parts from Hitler’s Führerloge from the Admirals Palast theatre in Berlin. From the remaining parts of the loge, the artist construc- ted several other sculptures that may be described as ‘Entartete Kunst’ (Degenerate Art).
 

For his exhibition at SMAC, Steve Schepens made a series of new sculptures entitled The Party. It is a group of sculptures inspired by glamorous pyramids constructed out of champagne glasses to be artistically filled with sparkling nectar on classy parties. The glasses of Schepens’ party, though, are filled with grey mud: frozen and stiff. Deprived of its ephemeral glamour, the Party becomes rather a Memento Mori, than an immediate celebration of life. If it does celebrate life, then in an oblique way, saying: carpe diem, darling, as long as you can.

Steve Schepens is represented by Marianne Friis Gallery, Copenhagen; Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp and J.J Heckenhauer Galerie, Germany. Besides his work as visual artist, he also writes for several international art magazines and is founder of BELGIE art centre and ESc art centre.