JOS DE GRUYTER & HARALD THYS
Born 1965 in Geel, Belgium
Born 1966 in Wilrijk, Belgium
Live and work in Brussels, Belgium
Solo Exhibitions
2021
Essex Street, New York
Dépression à Dortmund, Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
2020
MONDO CANE, Bozar/Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels
2019
MONDO CANE, Belgian Pavilion, 58th Venice Biennale
cur. by Anne-Claire Schmitz
2018
KONKURS EKSPERTEN, Kunsthal Aarhus, Denmark cur. by Jacob Fabricius
OBJECTS AS FRIENDS, Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York
A FOPS 3, dépendance, Brussels
2017
30 JAHRE KUNST, Kunstverein München cur. by Chris Fitzpatrick
ELEGANTIA, Milan Triennale cur. by Francesco Garutti
2016
PANTELLERIA, Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin
WHITE SUPREMATISM, Portikus Frankfurt cur. by Fabian Schoeneich
BALTAS SUPREMATISMAS, CAC, Vilnius cur. by Ūla Tornau & Asta Vaičiulytė
2015
IM REICH DER SONNENFINSTERNIS, MCA, Chicago
FINE ARTS, MoMA PS1, New York cur. by Anthony Huberman
DIE SCHMUTZIGEN PUPPEN VON POMMERN, The Power Station, Dallas
TRAM 3, CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco cur. by Anthony Huberman
I PICCOLI PUPAZZI SPORCHI DI PRUPPA, Sant’Andrea de Scaphis, Rome
2014
THE APE FROM BLOEMFONTEIN, 1646, The Hague
DAS WUNDER DES LEBENS, Kunsthalle Wien
DIE SCHMUTZIGEN PUPPEN VON POMMERN, Art Unlimited / Art 41 Basel, Basel
DIE SCHMUTZIGEN PUPPEN VON POMMERN, Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
DIE SCHMUTZIGEN PUPPEN VON POMMERN, Muzeum Ziemi Otwockiej, Otwock, Poland cur. by Kasia Redzisz
2013
OPTIMUNDUS, M HKA, Antwerp cur. by Nav Haq
2012
LES ENIGMES DE SAARLOUIS, Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
OBJECTS AS FRIENDS, Mu.ZEE, Ostend cur. by Philip Van den Bossche
OBJECTS AS FRIENDS, Culturgest, Porto cur. by Miguel Wandschneider
2011
IM REICH DER SONNENFINSTERNIS, Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin
DAS LOCH, NAK, Aachen cur. by Dorothea Jendricke
OBJEKTE ALS FREUNDE, kestnergesellschaft, Hannover cur. by Kathrin Meyer
2010
PROJEKT 13, Kunsthalle Basel cur. by Adam Szymczyk
DAS LOCH, Art Unlimited / Art 41 Basel
2009
SUITCASE ILLUMINATED #6: Tunnel Effect – Part 1, Kaleidoscope HQ, Milan
DER SCHLAMM VON BRANST, Culturgest, Lisbon cur. by Miguel Wandschneider
DER SCHLAMM VON BRANST, Pro Choice, Vienna
SKELETON PHOTOS, dépendance, Brussels
2008
TEN WEYNGAERT, Galerie Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin
2007
DR CURLET REÇOIT JOS DE GRUYTER ET HARALD THYS, Frac Ile-de-France Le Plateau, Paris, France – with François Curlet
TEN WEYNGAERT, Artspeak, Vancouver
2004
THE 48 HOURS OF KWIK & KWAK, Etablissement d’en face, Brussels
2002
THE SPINNING WHEEL, Middelheimmuseum, Antwerp cur. by Menno Meewis
1993
EMPEROR RO, ICC Antwerp & Gallery Foncke Ghent
Group Exhibitions selection
2022
Biennale de Genève : Sculpture garden, cur. by Devrim Bayar, Genève
Substance – Substances, Collegium, Arévalo
After August Sander, MGK Siegen, Siegen
“ca. 2009”, Dawid Radziszewski Gallery, Warsaw
2021
“Unser Sommer in Belgien”, Duflon Racz, Bern
BOY VEREECKEN: BACK MATTER, MACRO, Rome
CONVERSATION PIECE | PART VII – VERSO NARRAGONIA, Fondazione Memmo, Rome
2020
MONOCULTURE, A Recent History, M HKA, Antwerp
BUSAN BIENNALE 2020: Words at an Exhibition curated by Jacob Fabricius
BEINGS, dépendance, Brussels dépendance at Sadie Coles HQ, London
2019
CONVEX/CONCAVE: Belgian Contemporary Art, TANK, Shanghai
D, frac Île-de-france, le Chateau de Rentilly, Bussy-Saint-Martin
MATTERS OF CONCERN / MATIÈRES À PANSER, La Verrière, Brussels
2018
BEAUFORT BIENNALE – cur. by Heidi Ballet
HUGO CLAUS, CON AMORE, BOZAR, Brussels cur. by Marc Didden
2017
THE ABSENT MUSEUM, WIELS, Brussels
TODAY’S YESTERDAY, Anren Bienniale, China cur. by curated by Liu Ding & Carol Lu Yinghua
2016
THE SQUATTER, Gaudel de Stampa, Paris
RANDOM RAPID HEARTBEATS, Tallinn Kunstihoone, Tallinn, Estonia cur. by Kestutis Kuizinas
2015
SLIP OF THE TONGUE, Punta della Dogana, Venice, cur. by Dahn Vo & Caroline Bourgeois
CAC, Vilnius
UNORTHODOX, Jewish Museum, New York, cur. by Kelly Taxter, Jens Hoffmann, and Daniel S.Palmer
2014
PUDDLE, POTHOLE, PORTAL, SculptureCenter, Long Island City, NY
cur. by Ruba Katrib & Camille Henrot
PETALS ON THE WIND, Galerie Micheline Szwajcer, Antwerp
I WOULD PREFER NOT TO, Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (SMBA), SMALL MUSEUM FOR THE AMERICAN METAPHOR, REDCAT, Los Angeles cur. by Kersten Geers
THE HAWKER, dépendance at Carlos/Ishikawa, London
PROGRESS AND HYGIENE, Zachęta National Gallery of Art, Warsaw cur. by Anda Rottenberg
LA RÉFÉRENCE D’OBJET N’EST PAS DÉFINIE À UNE INSTANCE D’OBJET, Galerie Edouard-Manet, Genevilliers – cur. by Barbara Sirieix
2013
THE VANISHING POINTS, Muzeum Ziemi Otwockiej, Otwock cur. by Kasia Redzisz & Mirosław Bałka
TRIPLE TOUR, La Conciergerie, Paris cur. by Caroline Bourgeois
IL PALAZZO ENCICLOPEDICO (THE ENCYCLOPEDIC PALACE), la Biennale di Venezia / Arsenale, Venice – cur. by Massimiliano Gioni
BACK TO EARTH. From Picasso to Ai Weiwei – The rediscovery of ceramics in art, Herbert Gerisch-Stiftung, Neumünster
LEISURE, DISCIPLINE AND PUNISHMENT, Contour Biennial, Mechelen cur. by Jacob Fabricius
GRUNDFRAGE, CRAC Alsace, Altkirch, France cur. by Christian Kobald & Severin Dünser
FICTIONS À L’ŒUVRE : L’ART CONTEMPORAIN LIVRÉ À L’EXPÉRIENCE DU RÉCIT, FRAC Aquitaine, Bordeaux
YOU ONLY FALL TWICE, Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Derry – Londonderry, Northern Ireland – cur. by Beirut & FormContent
2012
THE CASTLE IN THE AIR. SÉANCE OF IMAGINATION, Centre of Culture ZAMEK, Poznan, Poland cur. by Adam Budak
KUNSTPREIS DER BÖTTCHERSTRASSE, Bremen
PANEGYRIC, Forde, Geneva
THE BIG INEXPLICABLE PARAVENT ILLUSION, Isabella Bortolozzi Galerie, Berlin
LUX/ICA Biennial of Moving Images, ICA, London
TRANSMEDIALE.12, Berlin
AT THE SPEED OF STONE, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York cur. by Anthony Huberman
2011
YES, WE DON’T, IAC, Villeurbanne
MELANCHOTOPIA, Witte de With, Rotterdam cur. by Nicolaus Schafhausen & Anne-Claire Schmitz
THE PLOT, The Power Plant, Toronto, Canadacur. by Melanie O’Brian
FOUND IN TRANSLATION, Chapter L, Casino Luxembourg cur. by Emmanuel Lambion
ATHENS BIENNIAL,Greece
2010
SESSION_13, FormContent, Londoncur. by Joshua Simon
HARENG SAUR: Ensor and Contemporary Art, SMAK, Ghent
DAS LOCH DER KRANKE PROPHET, Rod Bianco Gallery, Oslo with Steinar Haga Kristensen
2009
THE THING / ALL THAT IS SOLID MELTS INTO AIR, MuHKA at Mechelen cur. by Dieter Roelstraete
DOUBLE HAPPINESS / THE STATE OF THINGS. Brussels/Beijing,Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels cur. by Luc Tuymans & Philippe Pirotte
UN-SCENE, WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels
2008
Manifesta 7. Trentino
SENS DESSUS DESSOUS, CRAC Languedoc-Roussillon
WHEN THINGS CAST NO SHADOW, 5th Berlin Biennale, Berlin
2007
Lonely At The Top #4, M HKA, Antwerp cur. by Dieter Roelstraete
THE GO BETWEEN, De Appel, Amsterdam
LA RICARDA, Internationales Kunstzentrum Ostbelgien, Eupen cur. by Michel François
Commitment, De Garage, Mechelen
2006
FAMILY AFFAIRS (Harald & Erik Thys, Richard & Danny Venlet), Bozar, Brussels
LE RETOUR DE LA COLONNE DURUTTI, Isabella Bortolozzi Gallery, Berlin cur. by Gyonata Bonvicini
CHOOSE CHOICE, De Brakke Grond, Amsterdam
2005
Visionair Belgi. / La Belgique visionnaire. C’est arriv. pr.s de chez nous, Paleis voor Schone Kunsten / Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels cur. by Harald Szeemann
ACECA, StrasbourgGalerie Ambassador, ParisGalerie Aliceday, BrusselsGalerie Archetype, Brussels
2004
THE INVISIBLE MEETING, Mariantonia, Sao Paulo
AMICALEMENT VOTRE, Mus.e des Beaux-Arts de Tourcoing
2003
ONCE UPON A TIME…, MuHKA, Antwerp
URBAN DRAMAS, deSingel, Antwerp cur. by Moritz Küng
KRAFT DER GEWOHNHEIT, Galerie Frehrking Wieseh.fer, Cologne
COCONUTOUR, CRAC Languedoc-Roussillon, S.te
2002
THE SHOW MUST GO ON, Witte Zaal, Ghent
2001
MARKING THE TERRITORY, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Ireland cur. by Marina Abramovic
HOUSE OF HAUNTED HORRORS, Huis Aan De Werf, Utrecht cur. by Moritz Küng
Artists’ Books
MONDO CANE, Venice Biennial, Mercatorfonds
30 JAHRE KUNST, Kunstverein München, Roma Publications
I PICCOLI PUPAZZI SPORCHI DI PRUPPA, Mousse Publishing
FINE ARTS, Moma PS1, Sternberg Press
LES ENIGMES DE SAARLOUIS, Triangle Books
OPTIMUNDUS, M HKA, Antwerp / Sternberg Press
DIE SCHMUTZIGEN PUPPEN VON POMMERN, Sternberg Press
DAS WUNDER DES LEBENS, Sternberg Press
OBJECTS AS FRIENDS, Konig Books
PORSCHE 917, Grotto
AUTOMOSOLEUM, Grotto
JOS DE GRUYTER & HARALD THYS, Middelheim museum
Selected Bibliography
2020
Dieter Roelstraete, ‘Pro Tools’ Artforum, March
2017
Tina Schulz, Abgrundtiefer Nihilismus, Texte zur Kunst
30 Jahre Kunst, Kunstverein München
2016
Watson, Mike, “Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys I Piccoli Sporchi di Prupp. Sant’Andrea de Scaphis, Rome 24 October – 23 December, ”Art Review, March
2015
Gottschalk, Molly, “The 15 Best Booths at Frieze London,” Artsy Editorial, October
2014
Tess Edmonson, ‘Otwock, Poland: Site and Narrative,’ Afterall online, May
2013
Maaike Lauwaert, ‘Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys. M_HKA, Antwerp,’ Modern Painters,
June Kasia Redzisz, ‘Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys. M_HKA, Antwerp,’ Frieze, May-
Chris Fitzpatrick, ‘Looking for the World in Both Directions,’ Spike
Jon Bywater, ‘Harald Thys and Jos de Gruyter. Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen (M HKA),’ Artforum, April
2012
John Beeson, ‘Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys at Isabella Bortolozzi, Berlin,’ Artforum, April
Ana Teixeira Pinto, ‘Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys’s “Im Reich der Sonnenfinsternis,’ Art Agenda, January
Moritz Küng, ‘De Gruyter & Thys: Oggetti come Amici,’ Abitare, 521, April
2011
Kirsty Bell, ‘Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys. Neue Aachener Kunstverein,’ Frieze, September
Joshua Simon, ‘Neo-Materialism, Part Three: The Language of Commodities,’ eflux, 28, October
Jennifer Krasinski, ‘All is Disquiet. Portrait Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys,’ Spike, 28, Summer
2010
Quinn Latimer, ‘Jos de Gruyter & Harald Thys. Kunsthalle Basel,’ Art in America, April Elena Filipovic, ‘Harald Thys & Jos de Gruyter,’ Creamier. Contemporary Art in Culture, Phaidon, London
Kito Nedo, ‘Waschebeutel, Bomberjacken und Kaseplatten’ (Kunsthalle Basel), Artmagazin.de, January
Kito Nedo, ‘Waschebeutel, Bomberjacken und Kaseplatten’ (Kunsthalle Basel), Artmagazin.de, January
2009
Judith Wilkinson, ‘Systems Failure: The Embarrassing Antics of de Gruyter & Thys,’ Afterall, 22, Autumn/ WinterJoshua Simon, ‘The Silence of the Lamps — The Autism of the Recent Works of Jos de Gruyter and Harald Thys,’ Afterall, 22, Autumn/Winter
2008
Dieter Roelstraete, ‘The Teaches of the Speechless,’ Mousse, 3, 16, December
Teresa Steel, ‘Chained Melody: Harald Thys and Jos de Gruyter in Vancouver,’ Filip Review, 3, 11, Winter
Gerrit Gohlke, ‘Flamische Heilkunst’ (5. Berlin Biennale & Isabella Bortolozzi), Artnet.de, May
Adrian Searle, ‘Toil and Rubble’ (5. Berlin Biennale), The Guardian, April
2007
Sean James Rose, ‘Deux Belges sur un Plateau. Carte blanche . Francois Curlet, qui invite Thys et Gruyter,’ Liberation, November
2005
Dieter Roelstraete, ‘The sacrificial lamb: Dieter Roelstraete Ponders the Work of Jos De Gruyter & Harald Thys,’ A Prior, November
Screenings
2017
filmprogramme, Fiac Paris
2014
CAC Cinema, Vilnius, Lithuania
‘Die aap van Bloemfontein,’ Extra City Kunsthal, Antwerp, Belgium
‘Die aap van Bloemfontein,’ WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, Belgium‘Conversation Piece,’ 1646, The Hague, The Netherlands –curated by Maaike Gouwenberg
2013
‘Das Loch,’ Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, Russia
‘The Frigate,’ WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, Belgium – curated by Elena Filipovic
2012
‘Der Schlamm Von Branst’ & ‘Das Loch,’ Cricoteka, Krakow, Poland
‘The Frigate,’ Tramway, Glasgow, UK
2011
‘Perennial #1,’ WIELS Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels, Belgium
‘Parallel Worlds,’ Arsenal, Berlin, Germany
2010
‘Parallel Worlds,’Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin, Germany
Arnolfini, Bristol, UK – curated by Richard Birkett
‘If I Cant Dance….,’ ICA, London, UK
‘Project 35,’ Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven, The Netherlands – curated by ICI
2009
The Steins, New York, NY – curated by Anthony Huberman
‘The Filmic Conventions,’ Form
Content, London, UK
Pro Choice, Vienna, Austria – curated by Lucie Stahl Centre de Creation Contemporaine, Tours, France – curated by Yann Ricordel
2008
Cinema on Baker Street, London, UK – curated by Isabella Bortolozzi & Dieter Roelstraete
Theatre Mercelis, Brussels, Belgium – curated by dependance
2000
‘Parallelogram,’
Kunstenfestivaldesarts, Brussels, Belgium
‘De Deserteur,’ GC Ten Weyngaert, Brussels, Belgium