With Let's Get Out Francis Maere invites us to explore the beautiful Leie region. In Bachte-Maria-Leerne, in a meander of the Leie near Sint-Martens-Latem, an arts festival takes place all summer long. Sculptures, installations and paintings by more than 30 mainly contemporary Belgian artists are shown at two different locations, within walking distance of each other.
The setting of the arts festival is unique and combines classical and avant-garde. In the castle park of the elegant Ooidonk Castle, owned by Count Henry t'Kint de Roodenbeke, various established values exhibited. A few hundred meters away, young up-and-coming talent is given the opportunity to display his work in the authentic, brutal setting of the seventeenth-century farmstead “Goed te Reables”.
Big names and young emerging artists
The castle park pays tribute to Eugène Dodeigne (1923-2015), born in Belgium but emigrated to Northern France. Due to the lockdown, the beautiful retrospective exhibition in La Piscine Roubaix could only be visited briefly, so a selection will also be on display during Let's Get Out. Pierre Clerk (°1928, Atlanta) suffered the same fate as Dodeigne. His first Belgian one-man show, at Francis Maere in Ghent, was also affected by the lockdown. That is why he will also be given a stage in Ooidonk this summer before the works are returned.
In addition, the castle park is the playing field for big names from contemporary Belgian art. Work by Arne Quinze, Kris Martin, Jan Fabre, Jean-Michel Folon, Hanneke Beaumont, Etienne Desmet, Koen Vanmechelen, Philip Aguirre y Otegui, Kobe and Oscar Jespers will be on display among the greenery.
The farm "Goed te Reables" is taken over by young up and coming talent. In the various spaces, visitors discover installations, light sculptures, objects and paintings by Stanislas Lahaut, Sofie Muller, Tim Volckaert, Stief Desmet, Maen Florin, Bart Van Steenkiste, Charlie De Voet, Sylvie Martens, Henry Claeys, Lieven Lefere, Isidoor Goddeeris, Dolores Bouckaert & Kris Dewitte, Ingrid Castelein, Stan van Steendam, Peter De Meyer, Frederik Lizen, Jeffe De Brabandere, Roeland Tweelinckx, Peter Morrens and Johan De Wit.
