LAb[au], laboratory for art and urbanism
is an artist group composed in 1997 by Manuel Abendroth and Jérôme Decock
Els Vermang (2003-2022)
In their practice, the artists investigate the relationship between art and language not only by means of written words and other forms of coded language - semantics but also through signs - semiotics. Likewise, they take a linguistic approach, employing information and communication science in the field of art.
Many of LAb[au]’s works originate from definitions specific to the field of art, such as 'the monochrome'. This leads them to question the limits of language, since the meaning of the monochrome, the fascination of the void, is not described in its definition but can be apprehended only through a wider understanding of art. In this way, they address the tradition of painting through terminology while contextualizing it in its cultural perspective.
However, any language can be encoded into secondary media where the use of colors, shapes, patterns, etc. forms a visual language. LAb[au] utilizes these different media while speaking of syntax, grammar, and vocabulary. In so doing, they further research possible ways to translate, to transcode different artistic expressions from one media into another.
Like a lexicographer, LAb[au] deploys arrays of books, exploring the infinite combinations of shapes and indexing possible ways to fill, to blacken, an empty white page. Thus, their rule-based approach questions the materiality, process, and concept of art. LAb[au]’s practice is rooted in the tradition of conceptual art, where tautologies and fundamental units such as space and time constitute the artistic vocabulary. Through the use of algorithms, the artists contextualize these notions in our contemporary world.
LAb[au] presented their work in renowned institutions such as Kunsthal, Rotterdam (2019), MAAT, Lisbon (2018), Museum M, Leuven (2017), Musee d’Art Contemporain ZKM, Karlsruhe (2016), Montreal, 2015), MOMA (New York, 2014), Biennale di Venezia (Venice, 2013), Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul, 2013), Witte de With (Rotterdam, 2006), New Museum (New York, 2003),... besides many more.
They realised several permanent artworks and their artworks are part of public and private collections worldwide.
This website presents a selection of artworks from the past 10 years.
Work created before can be found at: http://meta.lab-au.com
Download Portfolio ENG & FR & NL
Solo exhibitions
2022 : Zeit Zeichen, Zeichen Zeit - Kunstmuseum Heidenheim, Heidenheim, Germany - 19.11.2022 - 26.02.2023
2020 : Ce mouvement qui deplace les lignes - La Patinoire/Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels, Belgium - 26.05 - 29.08.2020
2020 : yes : no, perhaps - Mario Mauroner contemporary art, Vienna, Austria - 18.01 - 21.03.2020
2019 : If Then Else - Casino Luxembourg, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - 27.09 - 05.01.2020
2017 : Langage codé - Fontana Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 04.11 - 18.02.2017
2016 : Langage codé - La Patinoire/Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels, Belgium - 01.09 - 22.10.2016
2016 : calculations, permutations, notations - The Major Gallery / Project Space Bermondsey, London, UK - 13.01 - 31.01.2016
2015 : rouge, vert, bleu, blanc - Centre des arts d’Enghien-les-Bains, Paris, France - 09.04 - 28.06.2015
2014 : zéro / un - Galerie Denise René, Paris, France - 06.02 - 22.03.2014
2014 : writing, drawing, painting - DAM Gallery, Berlin, Germany - 31.01 - 02.04.2014
2014 : binary waves, the public art program - Le Centquatre, Paris, France - 16.02 - 23.03.2014
2011 : Tessel - Musée de Moulage, Lyon, France - 08.06 - 13.07.2011
2011 : f5x5x3 - Aubette, Ososphère Strassbourg, France - 11.02 - 20.02.2011
2011 : diffraction - TAG institute, Den Haag, The Netherlands - 17.12.2010 - 17.01.2011
2010 : m0t1v - Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Köln, Germany - 08.01 - 12.02.2010
2009 : time | emit - DAM Gallery Berlin, Germany - 21.02 - 28.03.2009
2009 : fLUX - Galerie Roger Tator, Lyon France - 23.04 - 01.07.2009
2009 : m0t1fs - Galerie Numeriscausa, Paris, France - 30.04 - 06.06.2009
2008 : 16n_ f5x5x3 - Tschumipavillion, Groningen, The Netherlands - 18.12.2008 - 15.02.2009
selected list of solo shows : https://www.lab-au.com/soloshows
Group exhibitions (selection)
2023 : The Seduction of the Bureaucrat - De Garage, Mechelen, Belgium - 12.03 - 04.05.2023
2022 : The tallest towers start of the ground, DAN Galeria in Sao Paolo, Brazil - 24.09 - 22.12.2022
2022 : On the Lockout - Fondation CAB, Brussels, Belgium - 06.09.2022 - 06.01.2023
2021 : X - FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou, France - 19.05 - 02.02.2022
2019 : Imaging Cities - Song Eun Art Space, Seoul, South Korea - 25.03 - 08.06.2019
2019 : D’un soleil à l’autre - Base Sous-marine, Bordeaux, France - 08.03 - 19.05.2019
2019 : Signals - CTM Vorspiele, Berlin, Germany - 01.02 - 04.02.2019
2019 : Action <> Reaction - Kunsthal, Rotterdam, The Netherlands - 22.09.2018 - 20.01.2019
2018 : A brave new world - MAAT, Lisbon, Portugal - 22.10 - 28.10.2018
2018 : Untitled (monochrome), Richard Taittinger, New York, USA - 01.03 - 29.04.2018
2017 : Art Pavilion - Grand Palais, Astana, Kazakhstan - 10.06 - 10.09.2017
2017 : Interstice - Dome, Caen, France - 27.04 - 07.05.2017
2016 : Eutopia - Museum M, Leuven, Belgium - 20.10.2016 - 17.01.2017
2016 : Terminal P - La Panacée, Montpellier, France - 17.06 - 28.08.2016
2016 : Home cinema - Gare Saint Sauveur, Lille, France - 24.04 - 04.09.2016
2016 : ACT - ACC - Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, South Korea - 25.11 - 31.07.16
2016 : Digital abstraction - Haus der elektronischen Künste, Basel, Switzerland - 07.04 - 22.05.16
2016 : Lumiere - Regent’s Canal, London, Uk - 14.01-17.01.16
2016 : Prosopopees - Le Centquatre, Paris, France - 06.12 - 31.01.16
2016 : Exo-Evolution - ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany - 30.10 - 28.02.16
2015 : VIA - MAC Créteil, Créteil, France- 26.03 - 05.04.2015
2014 : Physicality - Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montréal, Canada - 23.05 - 01.06.2014
2014 : Artist / Novelist - MOMA, New York, USA - 08.01 - 31.03.2014
2014 : noir et blanc - Galerie Denise René, Paris, France - 17.01 - 28.02.2014
2014 : Urban Lights Ruhr - Hamm, Germany - 25.09 - 11.10.2014
2013 : Vasarely Hommage - Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium - 17.10 - 19.01.2013
2013 : Poème Numérique - Atomium, Brussels, Belgium - 22.06 - 20.09.2013
2013 : space oddity - Le GrandHornu, Le Hornu, Belgium - 18.11 - 10.03.2013
2013 : Noise - Biennale di Venezia, Venice, Italy - 30.05 - 20.09.2013
2012 : Articifial garden - Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea - 04.12 - 23.12.2012
2011 : Tender Buttons - Overpoort, Ghent, Belgium - 30.11 - 18.12.2011
2010 : West Arch - Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany - 12.09 - 14.11.2010
2010 : From kinetic to digital art - Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provenance, France - 02.06 -11.07.2010
2010 : Digital Nights - Singapore Art Museum, Singapore - 16.09 - 26.09.2010
2009 : Young Belgium Painters Award - Bozar, Brussels, Belgium - 25.06 - 13.09.2009
2009 : Holy Fire - iMAL, Brussels,Belgium - 18.04 - 30.04.2008
2008 : Emocao Art.ificial - Itau, Sao Paolo, Brazil - 01.06 -14.09.2008
2008 : todaysart - The Hague, The Netherlands – 25.09 - 28.09.2008
2007 : CTM building space - Ballhaus Naumystrasse, Berlin, Germany - 23.01 - 03.02.2007
2006 : Neo-beginners - TENT / Witte de With, Rotterdam, The Netherlands - 31.08 - 22.09.2006
2006 : Artefact - STUK Kunstencentrum, Leuven, Belgium - 13.02 - 18.02.2006
2004 : Sonar 2004 - Arquitectura Artificial, Barcelona, Spain - 17.06 - 20.06.2004
2003 : Urban lab - Bauhaus Dessau, Dessau, Germany – 10.10 - 18.10.2003
2003 : Polygone Den[c]ity - New Museum, New York, USA - 23.01 - 23.02.2003
2001 : Imagineering the Urban Condition - Artimage, Graz, Austria - 07.11 -11.11.2001
2000 : La Beauté - Louvre, Paris, France - 10.10 - 29.10.2000
1999 : Life Science - Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria - 01.09 - 09.09.1999
1998 : transaArchitectures 02 / 03, - NAI, Netherlands architecture institute, Rotterdam, The Netherlands - 18.11 - 12.12.1998
...
selected list of group shows : https://www.lab-au.com/groupshows
Public artworks
2021 : Kontexte, crossover ‘Loredana Marchi‘ Brussels, Belgium
2019 : Zäit Wuert, Casino Luxembourg, Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg
2019 : Palimpsest, Wijkpark De Porre, Ghent, Belgium
2019 : 365, De Hoorn, Leuven, Belgium
2016 : 365, Quai 10 and La Vigie, Charleroi, Belgium
2016 : Lux Aeternae, AZF Mémorial, Toulouse, France
2016 : 10e-15, Centre de recherche Femto, Temis Science, Besançon, France
2016 : SiloScope, Quai Jules Guesde, Vitry-sur-Seine, Paris, France
2009 : mosaique 15x26, Maison de la Mécatronique, Annecy-le-Vieux, France
...
Permanent artworks in semi-public collections
2021 : yes, no : perhaps - Hager Stiftung, Blieskastel, Germany
2017 : origamiSquare 59 squares - Linklaters, Madrid, Spain
2017 : origamiCeiling 160 Rhombi - Reynaerts, Duffel, Belgium
2017 : origamiCeiling 20 squares 54 kites - Cosnova, Frankfurt, Germany
2017 : origamiPenrose 71 kites and darts - Aegon Amersfoort, The Netherlands
2016 : origamiSquare 192 squares - Linklaters, Brussels, Belgium
2016 : SwarmDots - Fidelity, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
2015 : chronoPrints - Zebrastraat, Ghent, Belgium
...
many artworks in private collections all over the world
Artworks in public institutions
2021 : PI - Cryptology Museum, Moscow, Russia
2018 : 2x540 kHZ - Mika Vainio + LAb[au], Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland
2016 : EOD02 - Frederik De Wilde + LAb[au], ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany
2006 : pixFlow02 - Itau Cultural, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Monographs, Catalogues,
2019 : If Then Else - exhibition catalogue ,Solo Show at Casino Luxembourg Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg
2016 : calculations, permutations, notations - exhibition catalogue, Solo Show at The Major Gallery, London
2015 : concepts, modes, systems, Centre des arts Enghien-les-Bains, France - ISBN 978-2-916639-38-3
2013 : Vasarely Hommage - catalogue insert Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels
2010 : MetaDesign, Les presses du réel, 2010 - ISBN 978-2-84066-404-8
2010 : m0t1f, - exhibition catalogue, Solo Show at Kunst-station Sankt Peter, Cologne
2004 : Liquid Space 01-03, Matrix Art project, Brussels
Festivals
LAb[au]'s installations have been/are regularly shown in festivals such as:
Ososphere, Strasbourg - CTM, Berlin - TodaysArt, The Hague - Scopitone, Nantes - Luminato - Toronto - Nemo, Paris
Kikk, Namur - Elektra, Montreal among many others...
complete list of festivals since 1999 : https://www.lab-au.com/festivals
Art Fair
LAb[au]'s artworks have been represented in art fairs such as:
Art Basel, Art Basel Miami Beach, SP Arte, Arco, Art Brussels, Brafa, Fiac, Art Vienna ...
2016 : Solo Booth with Galerie Denise René (Paris,) at Art Brussels, Brussels, Belgium.
Awards
2013 : Prix Victor Vasarely, Fondation Vasarely, Aix en Provence, France
2011 : Nominee Qwartz electronic awards, Paris, France
2010 : Honorary mention Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria
2009 : Nominee Young Belgian Painters Award, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
2008 : Prix Médiatine, Brussels, Belgium
2007 : Prix Médiatine, Brussels, Belgium
LAb[au] is represented by:
Dan Galeria, Sao Paulo
La Patinoire Royale / Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels
in the past has been represented by:
Galerie Denise René, Paris, DAM Gallery Berlin, Fontana Gallery, Amsterdam, Mario Mauroner, Vienna