Wim Delvoye (b. 1965)

In the present lot Wim Delvoye has aimed for a clash of elements: the Dutch Delft Blue, normally reserved for delicate earthenware not designed for usage, is now applied to a robust gas canister, which normally only serves as a utensil, but through the Delft Blue has been elevated to an object of beauty. This ironic discrepancy is exemplary for the artist, who is not afraid to merge pigs and tattoos or x-rays of various creatures processed in leaded glass windows.
Delvoye has not only applied the Delft Blue to gas canisters, but also to sawblades, equally useful, though not necessarily pretty objects. Because of the tension between apparent opposites, the works of art by Delvoye are never dull and incite the viewer to question their first thoughts. Identity is never a straightforward entity for Delvoye: 'My gas canisters are 100 gas canisters and 100 Delft earthenware.'