Jan Fabre facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre (center) in 2008
Born	(1958-12-14) 14 December 1958 (age 66) Antwerp, Belgium

Jan Fabre, born on December 14, 1958, is a famous artist from Belgium. He is known for his amazing work in many areas, including theater, writing, and visual arts. For almost 40 years, Fabre has been a very important person in the art world.

What is a Consilience Artist?
- Connecting Different Fields
Jan Fabre's Visual Art
Jan Fabre's Theatre Work
Exhibitions
Selected Theatre Productions
Images for kids
See also

What is a Consilience Artist?

Jan Fabre often talks about "consilience". This big word means bringing together different kinds of knowledge. Imagine connecting ideas from science, art, and history to understand things better.

Connecting Different Fields

Fabre sees himself as a consilience artist. He explains that it's about mixing ideas from different subjects. For example, learning about insects (entomology) can give new ideas for making art. Or, seeing connections between art, science, and even medicine can lead to fresh ways of thinking. This way of working helps Fabre create new and exciting art, theater, and stories.

Jan Fabre's Visual Art

Jan Fabre has created a special and unique world through his visual art. He uses his own symbols and ideas that appear again and again in his work.

Early Influences and Jewel Beetles

When he was a student in Antwerp, Fabre learned to love beauty and its power. He was also very curious about nature. He became fascinated by insects at a young age. This was partly because of the writings of an insect expert named Jean-Henri Fabre.

One of his most famous artworks uses the shiny wing-cases of jewel beetles. These beetles are special because their hard shells last a long time. Fabre uses them to create mosaic artworks that are also meant to last.

Famous Beetle Artworks

You can see his beetle artworks in many places. One example is the ceiling of the Royal Palace in Brussels. This artwork, called 'Heaven of Delight' (made in 2002), uses over a million jewel beetle wing-cases! Another example is 'Totem' (2004) in Leuven, Belgium. It's a giant beetle sculpture stuck on a tall steel pole.

Early Performances and Drawings

Fabre started writing for theater and doing solo performances in the late 1970s. In some of his early shows, he would burn money. He would then use the ashes to write the word 'MONEY'. In 1977, he even renamed his street "Jan Fabre Street." He put a sign on his parents' house that said, "Here lives and works Jan Fabre." This was like the sign on Vincent van Gogh's house on the same street. In 1978, he made drawings using his own blood during a performance.

Bic-Art and Sculptures

Fabre became well-known for his "Bic-art." This is art made with blue "Bic" ballpoint pens. In 1980, he locked himself in a white room for three days and nights. He drew on everything with blue pens. He called this 'The Bic-Art Room'. In 1990, he even covered an entire building with his ballpoint drawings.

He also makes sculptures using bronze and beetles. Some of his famous sculptures include The man who measures the clouds and Searching for Utopia.

The Cycling Challenge

In 2016, Fabre did something unusual. He tried to cycle for an hour at a velodrome in France. He wanted to see if he could not break the famous cyclist Eddy Merckx's 1972 hour record. Fabre cycled 23 km in an hour, while Merckx's record was over 49 km. Fabre said it showed "how to remain a dwarf in the land of giants."

Jan Fabre's Theatre Work

Jan Fabre changed how theater and dance were made. He introduced "real-time performance," which means things happen live and sometimes unexpectedly. He has been writing his own plays since 1975.

Challenging Theatre Rules

In 1982, his play This is theatre as was to be expected and foreseen surprised many people in European theater. He continued to challenge traditional ideas with plays like The Power of Theatrical Madness in 1984.

In 1986, he started his own theater company called Troubleyn/Jan Fabre. This company works all over the world, but its main home is in Antwerp, Belgium.

Dance and Opera

As a choreographer, Fabre explored new ways of doing classical dance. He created pieces like The Dance Sections (1987) and The Sound of One Hand Clapping (1990). These led to a series of operas called The Minds of Helena Troubleyn.

Long Performances

One of Jan Fabre's most famous theater works is Mount Olympus – To glorify the cult of tragedy (2015). This was a marathon show with 27 performers that lasted for 24 hours! It was about ancient Greek stories. In 2023, he continued this with Peak Mytikas (On the top of Mount Olympus), an 8-hour show.

Solo Shows and The Night Writer

Fabre has also created many solo shows for the actors in his company. These shows are often based on his own writings.

Since 2016, his play The Night Writer has been performed in many countries. A well-known actor performs it in their own language. The play is based on Fabre's personal diaries, which he has been writing for a long time. The Night Writer has won many awards.

Jan Fabre is considered one of "The Great European Stage Directors." He is included in a special book series alongside other famous directors like Stanislavski and Pina Bausch.

Exhibitions

Jan Fabre's art has been shown in many important museums and galleries around the world. Here are some of his exhibitions:

The Angel of Metamorphosis exhibition, Louvre Museum (2008)
Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo (2011 – 2013), Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris (2015)
Facing Time. Rops / Fabre, Musée Félicien Rops, La Maison de la Culture; Saint-Loup Church, Namur (2015)
Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo (2011 – 2013), Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm (2015)
The Lime Twig Man, At the Gallery, Antwerp (2015)
Stigmata. Actions & Performances 1976–2013, M HKA, Antwerp (2015)
Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo, Espace Louis Vuitton, Tokyo (2015)
Knight of the Night, Galeria Il Ponte, Florence (2015)
The Years of the Hour Blue, Magazzino, Rome (2015)
Jan Fabre. 30 Years / 7 Rooms, Deweer Gallery, Otegem (2015)
Sacrum Cerebrum, Art Bärtschi & Cie, Geneva (2015)
The Man Who Bears the Cross, At the Gallery, Antwerp (2015)
Sacrum Cerebrum, BRAFA, Brussels (2016)
Knight of the Night, Ronchini Gallery, London (2016)
Spiritual Guards, Forte Belvedere; Piazza della Signoria; Palazzo Vecchio, Florence (2016)
Vanitas Vanitatum, Omnia Vanitas, Deweer Gallery, Otegem (2016)
Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo, Het Noordbrabants Museum, ‘s Hertogenbosch (2016)
Falsification de la fête secrète IV (Carnival), Guy Pieters Gallery, Knokke-Heist (2016)
Stigmata. Actions & Performances 1976-2016, MAC, Lyon (2016)
Knight of Despair / Warrior of Beauty, The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg (2016)
Glass and Bone Sculptures 1977 – 2017, L’Abbazia di San Gregorio, Venice (2017)
Gold and Blood (Sculptures and Drawings), Art Bärtschi & Cie, Geneva (2017)
My Only Nation is Imagination, Studio Trisorio; Madre Museum; Capodimonte Museum, Naples (2017)
Stigmata. Actions & Performances 1979-2016, Leopold Museum, Vienna (2017)
Viewing Boxes, Thinking Models and Drawings 1977-2008, Deweer Gallery, Otegem (2017)
Maskers, Magazzino, Rome (2017)
Stigmata. Actions & Performances 1976-2016, Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC), Sevilla (2018)
The Appearance and Disappearance of Bacchus / Antwerp / Christ (2016), Special Creations for The State Hermitage Museum, Galerie Templon, Brussels (2018)
My Queens, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels (2018)
Ma nation: l’imagination, Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul-de-Vence (2018)
Ecstasy & Oracles, Arco delle Valle dei Templi; Biblioteca Lucchediana; Santa Maria dei Greci and Museo Archeologico Regionale Pietro Griffo; Cappella Chiaramontana del Complesso Monumentale Santo Spirito; Cattedrale di Santa Maria Nuova di Monreale; Chiostro di Santa Maria Nuova ed ex Dormitorio dei Benedettini di Monreale (2018)
Jan Fabre – Curated by BOZAR. A cutting experience, located on the beach in front of the casino, Knokke-Heist (2018)
The Castles in the Hour Blue, Building Gallery; Sant’ Eustorgio Cathedral and Portinari Chapel, Milan (2018)
Loyalty and Vanity, Gallery 604 & Project B6, Busan (2018/2019)
There is no escape from art, Sofia Arsenal – Museum of Contemporary Art, Sofia (2018/2019)
Oro Rosso. Gold and coral sculptures, blood drawings, Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte (2018/2019)
The Man Who Measures the Clouds, Museo Madre, Naples (2018/2019)
The Man Who Bears the Cross, Pio Monte della Misericordia, Naples (2018/2019)
Tribute to Hieronymus Bosch in Congo, Studio Trisorio, Naples (2018/2019)
The Man Who Measures the Clouds (Monument to the Measure of the Immeasurable), Canal Grande, during 58. Biennale di Venezia, Venice (2018/2019)
Le garçon qui porte la lune et les étoiles sur sa tête, Fondation Linda et Guy Pieters, Saint-Tropez
The Rhythm of the Brain, Palazzo Merulana, Rome
L’Heure Sauvage, Galerie Templon, Brussel (2020)
Feast of Little Friends, National Museum Belgrade in collaboration with Cultural Centre, Belgrade (2020)
L’Heure Bleue, Musée des Beaux Arts, Arras (2020)
Purity on its knees, Pilevneli Gallery, Istanbul (2021)
The Shape of Gold. A Devilish Ashtray, Building Box, Milan (2021)
Collage-drawing for The Purity of Mercy IV, II (2019), Studio Trisorio, Napoli (2021)
Project wall: ‘Avant grade’ (2011), Tribute to Belgium Congo 2010 – 2013, Studio Trisorio, Capri (2022)
Homo aquaticus and his planet, Certosa di San Giacomo, Capri (2022)
Allegory of caritas (An act of love), Mucciaccia Gallery, London & Rome (2022)
Jan Fabre, Dream Castles (Drawings And Photographs), Mucciaccia Gallery, Cortina d’Ampezzo (2023)
Jan Fabre. La saggezza del Belgio | Jan Fabre. The Wisdom of Belgium, Galleria Gaburro, Milan (2023)
Allegory of caritas (An act of love), Mucciaccia Gallery, Singapore (2023)
Per Eusebia, Laura e Joanna, Studio Trisorio, Napoli (2023)
Jan Fabre, New Works, Mosaics, Wilde Gallery, Basel (2023)

Selected Theatre Productions

Theater geschreven met een K is een kater (1980)
Het is theater zoals te verwachten en te voorzien was ("It is Theatre as to be Expected and Foreseen" 1982)
De macht der theaterlijke dwaasheden ("The power of theatrical madness", Venice Biennale 1984)
Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas (1987)
Prometheus Landschaft (1988)
Das Interview das stirbt... (1989)
Der Palast um vier Uhr morgens... A.G. (1989)
Die Reinkarnation Gottes (1989)
Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas (1990)
The Sound of one hand clapping (1990)
Sweet Temptations (1991)
She was and she is, even (1991)
Wie spreekt mijn gedachte ... (1992)
Silent Screams, Difficult Dreams (1992)
Vervalsing zoals ze is, onvervalst (1992)
Da un’altra faccia del tempo (1993)
Quando la terra si rimette in movimento (1995)
Three Dance-solos (1995)
A dead normal woman (1995)
Universal Copyrights 1 & 9 (1995)
De keizer van het verlies (1996)
The very seat of honour (1997)
Body, Body on the wall (1997)
Glowing Icons (1997)
The Pick-wick-man (1997)
Ik ben jaloers op elke zee… (1997)
The fin comes a little bit earlier this siècle (But business as usual) (1998)
Het nut van de nacht (1999)
As long as the world needs a warrior’s soul (2000)
My movements are alone like streetdogs (2000)
Je suis Sang (conte de fées médiéval) (2001)
Het zwanenmeer (2002)
Swan lake (2002)
Parrots & guinea pigs (2002)
Je suis sang (2003)
Angel of death (2003)
Tannhäuser (co-production) (2004)
Elle était et elle est, même (2004)
Etant donnés (2004)
Quando L'Uomo principale è una donna (2004)
The crying body (2004)
The King of Plagiarism (2005)
History of Tears (2005)
I am a Mistake (2007)
Requiem für eine Metamorphose (2007)
Another Sleepy Dusty Delta Day (2008)
The Servant of Beauty (2010)
Preparatio Mortis (2010)
Prometheus–Landscape II (2011)
Tragedy of a Friendship (2013)
Attends, Attends, Attends... (Pour mon Père) (2014)
Mount Olympus. To Glorify the Cult of Tragedy. A 24-hour performance. (2015)
Belgium Rules/Belgian Rules (2017)
The Generosity of Dorcas (2018)
The Night Writer - Italy (2019)
Resurrexit Cassandra (2019)
The Night Writer - Russia (2019)
The Night Writer - Serbia | Nocni Pisac (2020)
The Night Writer - Lithuania | Nakties Rasytojas (2021)
The Fluid Force of Love (2021)
The Night Writer - Slovenia | Nocni Pisec (2021)
The Night Writer - Croatia | Nocni Pisac (2021)
Resurrexit Cassandra (with Sonia Bergamasco) (2021)
Not Once (An art installation with film - featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov) (2021)
Elle etait et elle est, meme (2022)
Simona, the gangster of art (2023)
Peak Mytikas (On the top of Mount Olympus) An 8-Hour Performance (2023)

Images for kids

Searching for Utopia (Nieuwpoort)