Corde a Linge 2022

steel, neon, argon, koner, cowhide

Geert Koevoets (1957) lives and works in Tilburg, the Netherlands. His work is exhibited nationally and internationally like in Belgium, Germany, and France. He finds his inspiration for his work in the catastrophe of the First World War that took place more than 100 years ago. Wars are of all times. Yet what particularly interests him in this World War I is that the front area ran like a narrow, elongated ribbon through Europe. The belligerents were sometimes only a few meters apart.

The landscape was riddled with trenches, hence the soldiers were literally buried in the ground. The soldiers had to endure all weather conditions and also constantly face the threat of attack. This oppressive situation with no prospect of a solution was typical of this conflict. Geert Koevoets finds his inspiration to tell his story in the landscape, the sick bays, the cemeteries, and the monuments. An important characteristic of this conflict is the vulnerable position in which the soldiers found themselves.

The front lines were separated by a ribbon of iron front pickets (pigtails) and barbed wire. Geert Koevoets has converted these front pickets into NEON (red) and ARGON (blue) light as a symbol. Light is a phenomenon that symbolizes vulnerability and is used as a visual element in his sculptures. The titles that Geert Koevoets uses in his sculptures often refer to the fields of yesteryear and the stories written there.