What is art?

I’ll never forget the first time I went to the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art (S.M.A.K.) in Ghent, Belgium, my hometown. I walked into a large room. Four walls, all painted white. Inside the room nothing but a small metal plaque engraved with the text THIS IS ART. Brilliant. Or sheer stupidity?

Over the years I’ve visited countless museums and exhibitions – I’ve witnessed styles and creations from different eras, continents and cultures. I’ve been lucky enough to explore some of the greatest art cities in Italy (yes, here we go again). Soon I’m going to New York and I can’t wait to visit the MoMA and the MET. But all of this is the traditional view on art. Paintings, architecture, sculpture. This is what we learnt at school. A paintbrush dipped in red, blue and yellow paint aged three is how it all began. We were brainwashed into thinking art was the product of a set of rules. That it had to be displayed in a particular setting in order for it to exist, to work, to be acknowledged and accepted. My generation was taught that any deviation from the norm violated the very essence of the concept of art.

Times have changed. And thank God for that. Contemporary art is based on freedom of expression. Rules are passé. Art no longer exists in museums only; it has become part of society. Anything is possible, to the point where it can become absurd even in terms of cost. Remember the controversy Jan Hoet caused with his columns covered in ham to create a marbled effect? A waste of food according to many (although the artist insisted the ham was not suitable for human consumption). Art according to many more. My first and only reaction: indifference. Yes, it was an original idea. But it was nothing extraordinary. A replica of an existing texture created with an everyday item. Been there, done that. It was nice, nothing more than that. The stench, however, was unbearable.

My personal view is that art is everywhere. And its interpretation is highly personal. I see art in everything: first and foremost in nature, in humans, in animals, in plants. And then in everything we’ve created, crafted, developed, built upon: architecture, music, photography. And in the interaction between all of these elements. The mind and body of both humans and animals are the epitome of art. They cannot be replicated in any way. Any attempt to recreate them is futile to me. That is what the concept of art should mean. Something exquisite, original, unique. Art should astonish and shock you. It should put you in a position where you question your very own skills and knowledge. Your existence. It should make you feel humble, in awe. So before you talk about art in terms of paintings and sculptures, look at yourself  and at your surroundings, and discover art in its purest form.

Art is... seeing beauty and perfection in the little things.

Art is... capturing those little things.

Art simply is.