about — Gideon Kiefer

Kiefer Gideon (1970)

Gideon Kiefer was described for years as a virtuoso draftsman, but in 2019, he transformed from a full-fledged draftsman into an emerging painter.

Kiefer’s work explores the unreliability of memory. His fascination with how memories are distorted, embellished, or even completely fabricated results in intimate and peculiar drawings and paintings that merge reality with imagination. Throughout his entire oeuvre, he draws inspiration from his hometown, the houses of his grandparents, his grandfather’s art books, places, and friends who have held special meaning for him.

On a secondary level, Kiefer’s work is often interpreted as socio-critical. Over the years, his work has increasingly taken on an apocalyptic tone, closely linked to the growing climate crisis. Draped sheets, inspired by the immense covers used to protect melting glaciers; the landscapes and forests of his hometown, enclosed in architectural settings; and stuffed giant birds that seem to herald impending doom—these are just a few of the many metaphors that represent this theme, giving his entire oeuvre an uncanny atmosphere.

Kiefer employs traditional (oil painting) techniques, only to then break academic conventions with the intent of “painting academicism to pieces.” His technical experimentation with painting is an ongoing evolution, which he delves deeper into by using stylistic contrasts within a single work or by mixing different media, such as spray paint, markers, stencils, and collage.

Handwritten texts, revealing hidden messages—often focused on current themes like climate change, but also including personal notes or GPS coordinates—add to the layering that is essential for the artist. Kiefer balances between the intimate and the global, and between reality and fiction, creating his own microcosm. His work invites reflection on the fragility of our memories and the urgency of the world around us, with each piece organically contributing to a narrative that is both personal and universal.

Recently, Kiefer has also added sculptures and objects to his repertoire.

His work is represented and exhibited both nationally and internationally.

Group exhibitions

2024

‘La Passion du Dessin’, Musée de l’Hospice Saint-Roch / Issoudun, (FR)
‘Works On Paper’, Barbé Gallery, Ghent (B)
‘Gideon Invites’, Cube Gallery, Genk (B)
‘Chestnut Grenades & Shooting Sticks’, Barbé Gallery, Gent (B)
‘Waarheid’, Gents Universiteitsmuseum, Gent (B)

2023

‘over_BLIJVEN’, De Markthallen, Herk-De-Stad (B)
‘Zandgrond’, De Warande, Turnhout (B)
‘Road to Nowhere’, Kunstbiënnale Prinsenhof Gent, Gent (B)
‘Art Antwerp’, Kudlek Gallery, Antwerp (B)

2022

Eden Kunstenfestival, Roeselare (B)
‘Herinneringen en Sequenties’, Cultuurhuis De Bijl, Zoersel (B)
‘Uitgestald -1,’ Uitstalling Art Gallery, Genk (B)
‘Kunst-Licht’, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Sint-Martens-Latem (B)
‘Finis Terrae’, Conscience Bibliotheek, Antwerpen (B)

2021

That’s All Folks’, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Knokke (B)
‘Poes. Hoe de kat de mens vangt’, Yper Museum, Ieper (B)

2020

ICTAF, Geukens & De Vil booth, Cape Town (SA)
‘Beestig’, Stadsfestival Damme, Damme (B)

2019

‘Douven vs Kiefer –Zo Ver het Oog Zien Kan’, Pelt (B)
‘Tekening (Disegno)’, SASK, Sint-Niklaas

2018

Kunstenfestival Watou, Watou (B)

2017

'De Opwarming', Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, Antwerp (B)
'Ecce Homo', Maagdenhuis, Antwerp (B)
Vienna Contemporary, Geukens & De Vil Booth, Vienna, (AUS)
'BLACK', C-Mine, Genk (B)
'Volta 13', Galerie Martin Kudlek, Basel (CH)
Museum to Scale 1/7, Fondazione Ghisla Art Collection, Locarno (I)
Drawing Now Paris 11, Galerie Martin Kudlek, Le Carreau du Temple, Paris (FR)
Sylvie De Meerleer, Gideon Kiefer & Birde Vanheerswinghels, Galerie Martin Kudlek, Cologne (GER)

The Beauty of the Beast, Kasteel d'Ursel, Bornem (B)

2016

Grote Prijs Ernest Albert, De Garage, Mechelen (B)
‘Drawing Front’, Kunstvereniging & Drawing Centre Diepenheim, Diepenheim (Nl)
10 jaar Kunstenaar van de Maand, Zebrastraat, Gent (B)
‘Tumultingent,’, Watt Event Space, Gent (B)

2015

Art Toronto, Rosenfeld-Porcini Gallery booth, Toronto (CAN)
‘Goodbye Pourbus, Hello Leopold’, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Antwerp (B)
‘Aandacht! Aandacht!’, C-Mine, Genk (B)
Vienna Contemporary, Geukens & De Vil Booth, Vienna, (AUS)
‘Aandacht! Aandacht!’, De Warande, Turnhout (B)
Kunstenfestival Watou, Watou (B)

2014

Provinciale Prijs Beeldende Kunst Oost- Vlaanderen 2013, Caermersklooster, Gent (B)
Vienna Contemporary, Geukens & De Vil Booth, Vienna, (AUS)
‘Drawing Now Paris’, Focus Artist, Carreau Du Temple, Paris (FR)
‘Something of Value’, Lokettenzaal Bank van België en Belgische Senaat, Brussel (B)

2013

‘Museum to Scale 1/7’, Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels (B)
Art Brussels, Geukens & De Vil Gallery booth, Brussels (B)
Art 13 London, Geukens & De Vil Gallery booth, London (UK)
KATHO departement IPSOC Kortrijk i.s.m. Museum Dr. Guislain, Gent (B)
Museum Op Schaal 1/7, Ronny Van De Velde Gallery (B)
‘The Birth Of Cinema & Beyond’, Rosenfeld-Porcini Gallery, London (UK)

2012

‘Are The Limits Of My Language, The Limits Of My World?’, Maskara Gallery, december, Mumbai (IN)
‘Wenn der Löwe sprechen könnte, wir werden Ihn nicht verstehen’, Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Knokke (B)
‘Wish You Were Here’, Ana Cristea Gallery, New York (USA)
Art Brussels, Geukens & De Vil Gallery booth, Brussels (B)

2011

Flanders House, New York (USA)
‘A Paper Trail’, De Halle – De Warande, Geel (B)
Art Brussels, Geukens & De Vil Gallery booth, Brussels (B)
‘Salon’, Pianomuseum Maene, Ruiselede (B)
‘The Weighty Body’, Museum Dr. Guislain, Ghent (B)
'(When Will They Finally See) The Power of Drawing', Geukens & De Vil Gallery, Antwerp (B)

2010

Preview Berlin, Geukens & de Vil Gallery Booth, Berlin (GER)
'Gideon Kiefer & Bart Slangen', Cultuurcentrum Dommelhof, Neerpelt (B)
'Canvascollectie 2010', BOZAR Museum, Brussels (B)

2009

B&C Group Art Gallery, Mont-Saint-Guibert (B)

2008

'Modernism', De Markgraaf, Hove(B)

COLLECTIONS

Museum Dr. Guislain (B), Bank Delen (B), Metzler Collection (LU), Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken (B), Museum Voorlinden (NL), Collection Guerlin (Fr)

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions