Koen Vanmechelen

“Instead of working in the centre of the idea of art, Koen works in the borderlines between art and science, art and society.” – Timo Valjakka

“To be an artist is about breaking your cage. You break your frame and this action of breaking your frame, sets yourself free.” – Koen Vanmechelen

Koen Vanmechelen is a Belgian conceptual artist who is internationally praised for his groundbreaking work and projects on biocultural diversity. As an artist he frequently refers to other disciplines, such as genetics, philosophy, and sociology.

Koen gained attention with his Cosmopolitan Chicken Project (CCP), where he combines domesticated chickens from all over the world to produce a more resilient genetic species. But Koen’s work covers a much broader range of art forms: from painting and drawing, to photography, video, installations and glasswork. The dialogue between art and science is never far away. Furthermore, Koen’s work can be interpreted as a powerful statement for diversity, not only in genetics, but also within society and culture.

Studio Koen Vanmechelen contacted us in 2018 to introduce the ideas behind his work through video to an international audience. We worked with the rich visuals in Koen’s universe and tried to grasp the personal story behind Koen’s artwork as well as the global position of art in socio-cultural debates.

Art, science and nature intersect constantly in the documentaries, video-installations and teasers that we produced for Koen’s work.

Discover more about Vanmechelen on: www.koenvanmechelen.be