LAb[au], laboratory for art and urbanism
is an artist group founded in 1997 by
Manuel Abendroth and Jérôme Decock
Their label involves artists such as Els Vermang (2003 - 2022) or for specific projects Thibaut Drouillon (since 2023)
In their practice, the artists of LAb[au] investigate the relationship between art and language through written words and other forms of coded language - semantics and 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 specific definitions proper 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. This way, they address the tradition of painting through terminology, while contextualizing it in its cultural perspective.
As any language can be reencoded into secondary media: colors, shapes, and patterns, they form their visual language. LAb[au] utilizes these different media while speaking of syntax, grammar, and vocabulary. They further research ways to translate and 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 an empty white page. Thus, their rule-based approach questions the materiality, process, and concept of art. The practice of LAb[au] is rooted in the tradition of conceptual art, where tautologies and fundamental units such as space and time constitute the artistic vocabulary. Using algorithms, the artists contextualize these notions in our contemporary world.
LAb[au] presented their work in many renowned institutions, and have realised many permanent public installations. Their artworks are part of public and private collections worldwide.
LAb[au] presented their work in renowned institutions such as:
Kunstmuseum Heidenheim (2023), KIASME Helsinki (2020), Casino Luxembourg Forum d’art contemporain (2020), Kunsthal Rotterdam (2019), MAAT Lisbon (2018), Museum M Leuven (2017), ZKM Karlsruhe (2016), Musée d’Art Contemporain Montreal (2015), Bozar Brussels (2014), MOMA New York (2014), Centquatre Paris (2014), Biennale di Venezia Venice (2013), Singapore Art Museum (2014), Seoul Museum of Art (2013), Centre George Pompidou Paris (2008), Witte de With Rotterdam (2006), New Museum New York (2003), Le Louvre Paris (2000),... besides many others.
They have realised many permanent public installations and their artworks are part of public and private collections worldwide.
This website presents a selection of artworks from the past ten years.
Work created before can be found at: http://meta.lab-au.com
Solo exhibitions
2024 : painting, writing, calculating, transcoding - Dan Galeria, Sao Paulo 09.08. - 05.10.24
2024 : POSSIBLES | PROBABLES - Botanique, Brussels 29.05. - 04.08.24
2024 : FARBEN | FERNAB - Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels 21.05. - 28.07.24
2022 : Zeit Zeichen, Zeichen Zeit - Kunstmuseum Heidenheim 19.11.2022 - 26.02.2023
2020 : Ce mouvement qui deplace les lignes - Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels 26.05 - 29.08.2020
2020 : yes, no,: perhaps - Mario Mauroner Contemporary art, Vienna 18.01 - 21.03.2020
2019 : If Then Else - Casino Luxembourg Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg City 27.09 - 05.01.2020
2017 : Langage codé - Galerie Fontana, Amsterdam 04.11 - 18.02.2017
2016 : Langage codé - La Patinoire/Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels 01.09 - 22.10.2016
2016 : Calculations, Permutations, Notations - The Mayor Gallery / Project Space Bermondsey, London 13.01 - 31.01.2016
2015 : rouge, vert, bleu, blanc - Centre des arts d’Enghien-les-Bains, Paris 09.04 - 28.06.2015
2014 : zéro | un - Galerie Denise René, Paris 06.02 - 22.03.2014
2014 : writing, drawing, painting - DAM Gallery, Berlin 31.01 - 02.04.2014
2014 : binary waves, Le Centquatre in the context of the public art program, Paris 16.02 - 23.03.2014
2011 : Tessel - Musée de Moulage, Lyon 08.06 - 13.07.2011
2011 : framework f5x5x3 - Aubette, Ososphère Strassbourg 11.02 - 20.02.2011
2011 : diffraction - TAG institute, The Hague 07.12.2010 - 17.01.2011
2010 : m0t1v - Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne 08.01 - 12.02.2010
2009 : time | emit - DAM Gallery, Berlin 21.02 - 28.03.2009
2009 : fLUX - Galerie Roger Tator, Lyon 23.04 - 01.07.2009
2009 : m0t1v - Galerie Numeriscausa, Paris 30.04 - 06.06.2009
2008 : 16n_ framework f5x5x3 - Tschumi Pavillon, Groningen 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 12.03 - 04.05.2023
2022 : The tallest towers start off the ground - DAN Galeria in Sao Paolo 24.09 - 22.12.2022
2022 : On the Lockout - Fondation CAB, Brussels, 06.09.2022 - 06.01.2023
2021 : X - FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou 19.05 - 02.02.2022
2021 : Mika Vanio retrospective - KIASMA, Helsinki 20.8.2020–10.1.2021
2019 : Imaging Cities - Song Eun Art Space, Seoul 25.03 - 08.06.2019
2019 : D’un soleil à l’autre - Base Sous-marine, Bordeaux 08.03 - 19.05.2019
2019 : Action <> Reaction - Kunsthal, Rotterdam 22.09.2018 - 20.01.2019
2018 : A Brave New World - MAAT, Lisbon 22.10 - 28.10.2018
2018 : Untitled (monochrome) - Richard Taittinger, New York 01.03 - 29.04.2018
2017 : Art Pavilion - Grand Palais Worldexhibition, Astana 10.06 - 10.09.2017
2016 : Eutopia - Museum M, Leuven 20.10.2016 - 17.01.2017
2016 : Terminal P - La Panacée, Montpellier 17.06 - 28.08.2016
2016 : ACT - Asia Culture Center, Gwangju 25.11 - 31.07.16
2016 : Digital abstraction - Haus der elektronischen Künste, Basel 07.04 - 22.05.16
2016 : Exo-Evolution - ZKM, Karlsruhe 30.10 - 28.02.16
2014 : Physicality - Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal 23.05 - 01.06.2014
2014 : Artist / Novelist - MOMA, New York 08.01 - 31.03.2014
2014 : Noir et Blanc - Galerie Denise René, Paris 17.01 - 28.02.2014
2013 : Vasarely Hommage - Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels 17.10 - 19.01.2013
2013 : Poème Numérique - Atomium, Brussels 22.06 - 20.09.2013
2013 : space oddity - Le Grand Hornu CID, Hornu 18.11 - 10.03.2013
2013 : Noise - Biennale di Venezia, Venice 30.05 - 20.09.2013
2012 : Artificial garden - Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul 04.12 - 23.12.2012
2011 : Tender Buttons - Overpoort, Ghent 30.11 - 18.12.2011
2010 : West Arch - Ludwig Forum, Aachen 12.09 - 14.11.2010
2010 : From kinetic to digital art - Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provenance, 02.06 -11.07.2010
2010 : Digital Nights - Singapore Art Museum, Singapore 16.09 - 26.09.2010
2009 : Young Belgium Painters Award - Bozar, Brussels 25.06 - 13.09.2009
2009 : Holy Fire - iMAL, Brussels 18.04 - 30.04.2008
2008 : Emocao Art.ificial - Itau, Sao Paolo 01.06 -14.09.2008
2006 : Neo-beginners - TENT / Witte de With, Rotterdam 31.08 - 22.09.2006
2003 : Urban lab - Bauhaus Dessau, Dessau 10.10 - 18.10.2003
2003 : Polygone Den[c]ity - New Museum, New York 23.01 - 23.02.2003
2000 : La Beauté - Louvre, Paris 10.10 - 29.10.2000
1998 : transArchitectures 02 / 03 - NAI, Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam 18.11 - 12.12.1998
...
selected list of group shows: https://www.lab-au.com/groupshows
see also festivals
Public artworks
2028 : Source of Uncertainty, Podiumkunstengebouw, Leuven, Belgium
2026 : listen to the universe, RTT building Kortrijk, Belgium
2024 : fLUx, Union Station, Toronto, Canada
2024 : XXXXXXXX, Stadtbibliothek Heidenheim, Germany
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
2014 : 10e-15, Centre de recherche Femto, Temis Science, Besançon, France
2014 : 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,
2024 : POSSIBLES | PROBABLES - exhibition catalogue, Soloshows Botanique and Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach
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 are regularly shown in festivals in the past:
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 Fairs
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, OfffScreen Paris ...
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
Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels