PRAHIARD

What if in the near future, those who need a hip replacement are no longer satisfied with a functional piece? We have already seen dental prothesis used as an esthetic complement (used even without necessity). Will in the future people in need of a prothesis reach to artist in order to carry within a practical device that functions also as a work of art? Will it be noticable only through an X-ray machine or will some parts be exposed for everyone to see?⁠

If in the absence of need objects like this become fashionable, Will people exchange them for their healthy bones and tissue?⁠ How will all this look like?⁠
⁠
I fuse new production techniques like 3D printing to explore the possibilities that this materials bring into the arts. My sculptures subtly display negative space through organic shapes, reminiscent to cellular structure, bone or tissue.⁠

TANALTILSURIA

In Nick Ervinck’s laboratory, a special concept of the human being has been prepared over the years, expressing itself along radical new artistic lines and using the most advanced technological 3D printing techniques. Moreover, his recent projects MASK MUTATION, PLANT MUTATION and SKIN MUTATION focus on a double-sided challenge raised by transhumanist philosophy.

On the one hand, Ervinck created a series of MASKS whose ungraspable energetic lines debouched into feelings of cosmic indeterminacy, overcoming human limitations and turning the human species into the magnified gods of the future. Here he touches upon the apparently unstoppable and thus eternal urge of man to feel immortal, to be more than his banal self and thus to wear the mask of the greatest possible cosmic omnipotence.
On the other hand, in the PLANT MUTATION series he used his 3D experimental style to explore ideas of both organic and genetically engineered life forms, launching a number of ethical questions that are not easy to resolve. When hybridization is carried out to the extreme, as in his Strawberry and Bell Pepper Series, an environmentalist concern covering major aspects of the survival of Gaia takes over, ending up in a waking up call to renew and reassume philosophical reflection.

As a multi-disciplinary project focusing on two dimensions, high esteem for technology and at the same time awe for some of its possible consequences, TechnoGaia (2020) invites the spectator to fully submerge in both the MASK and PLANT mutation series and experience ongoing metamorphoses presented in an installation that refers to old labyrinthine spirals. As the history of Europe at many occasions revealed, the descent into Gaia’s spiritual caves, be it the physicality of Lascaux or the allegorical refinement of Plato’s cave, proved to be excellent occasions to express current anxieties and desires.

As an experimental event sharing ecological and ideological positions, TechnoGaia aims at stirring up human consciousness by developing sensitivities that might guide us in the human quest for a posthuman cosmic position. It is here that the artist meets the technician in their common desire to fully understand and exploit fluctuations and mutations of energy that might help man to enter into a more encompassing noosphere.
However, the beginning of 2020 will be known as the era in man’s history that focused the opposition between Techno and Gaia. A pandemic catastrophe often was part of the better SF genre until now, but could never affect man's firm belief in himself. It is therefore quite staggering to recall Ervinck's NOITATUM series (from 2013 on) and to refer to his aestheticization of processes of mutation and manipulation. Created in times when the anthropocene was considered iconic, his strawberry sculptures, blue in leaf, yellow in fruit, barely had the strenght to send their loud screams out into the world.

His SKIN mutations had already shown how skin and pelt spanned shrinking bodies and were caught in rhythmically severely disturbed respirations. In hindsight, you can say that the whole NOITEM series that arose then was the perfect form to represent the fear and panic that is now shared worldwide. The alienation and untouchability of the special Rorschach spots and the spatial cobwebs they created, perfect in symmetry, untouched in their appearance, now, a little less than a decade later, seem to have assumed prophetic forms to evoke the unknown global enemy. How deeply this cosmically powerful attacker will touch us is difficult to estimate at present, but fascinating and tremendous he surely is, and so is the whole NOITEM imagination.

In his quest for an aesthetics and tragedy that probe our era in depth, right down to the fibres of the SKIN products that we are all ourselves, the double world that Ervinck has invariably explored can provide a handhold for us all to feel included in his recent project TechnoGaia. His philosophical questioning and artistic design in any case force us to seek a new kind of consciousness that we can and must share with the entire world population, in an attempt to survive ourselves and life better than before.

TANATIRIUB

SKIN MUTATIONS
BETWEEN THE EROTIC AND THE DECAY OF THE BODY
Stagnation and movement, tradition and future, handicrafts and digital technologies. They seem to be some of the most obvious contradictions. Yet, without a mutual destruction, they meet in the skin series of Nick Ervinck's oeuvre. The SKIN MUTATIONS fit perfectly within the tradition of pushing anatomical structures to the surface. The artist combines Henry Moore’s idea 'the power of the bone under the flesh' with Francis Bacon's vision 'never forget that meat is meat': bones, knuckles and vertebrae form the supporting construction for the flesh cover in which they are encapsulated.
Organic forms are never a purely human creation. That is why Ervinck points to the great influence that nature exerts on him. Although the series of sculptures must represent creatures of flesh and blood, we encounter a clear visual resemblance to the Gonshi rocks. To acquire an insight into the organic laws of form and rhythm, Nick Ervinck manipulated their erratic forms into a personal creation. Nevertheless, these limestone rocks, similar to lifeless rocky landscapes, are not deserted from life: according to the ancient Chinese faith they harbor immortal beings. In other words, they form memories from other worlds.
Ervinck considers his SKIN MUTATIONS, his man-made fossils, as similar creatures from an unknown universe. By means of an alienating skeleton dance and restrained by their prison of flesh, they seem to be on the lookout for a place of their own in the current time and space. The struggle between dynamism and the static pose is a theme that the artist likes to explore on many occasions. Not unlike Eadweard Muybridge did with his zoopraxiscope (an early film projector), Nick Ervinck tried to capture motion in a still image. From hundreds of preliminary studies, he selects specific details that are used as an alphabet to tell a new story. That story of complex and almost violent forms, filled with movement, is obtained by a puzzle of different parts in different proportions and forms that contrasts sharply with the refined and smooth surfaces of his earlier blob series.
At first sight, the futuristic figures do not look like sculptures, but more like creations of flesh and blood. The skin, unashamedly stretched over the internal skeleton, mirrors the battle between tradition and modernity, between notions of intentional and unintentional physical evolution. Just like in his earlier work Ervinck exhibits the poetry of the imperfections of the skin. Spots, scars, wrinkles and cellulite are an inherent part of the development of skin and other organic tissues.
In addition to sculpture and nature, references to painting also appear in the work of Nick Ervinck. He deconstructs the rich but rough brushstrokes with which Lucian Freud realized the nearly literal incarnation of his paintings. Afterwards, Ervinck uses them in a digital context for his meticulous visualisations that sparkle with vitality.
The skin mutations shock their spectator with a strong expressiveness. The overwhelmingly powerful colours influence the perception to the extent that the forms can no longer be interpreted within a contemporary framework.
 
 

NOITEROS

Within this series of sculptures, Nick Ervinck explores how to deploy the current techniques of 3Dprinting to surpass sculpture. He builds on the craftsmanship of the past by combining his background in sculpture and his ability to use modern technology to bring to life true artistic vision. While the traditional sculptor shapes his works by removing material, Nick Ervinck creates fluid forms and lines, with the empty space being equally meaningful. The potential of the use of 3Dprinting is endless, and offers opportunities to make a futuristic translation of sculptures from the past.
These sculptures are a hybrid of different traditions and methods of art and design, as well as the architectural fields. Influences from traditional sculpture can be seen, notably by artists such as Hans Arp, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Georges Vantongerloo. Just like Vantongerloo, Nick Ervinck tries to capture colored surfaces and lines in a transparent shell. The use of transparency is a subtle reminder to the history of glassblowing.
Furthermore, the works represent an energetic revolutionizing movement that reminds us of the futuristic design language. Just as in futurism, Ervinck succeeds to grasp movement in a still image. In a very poetic way, we recognize a colorful, dynamic sculpture. By its glossy finish, the works seem to come from a virtual world, despite the sculpture being physically made.
The shape of the sculptures we perceive seems to be very elusive, gives the impression of being unstable, susceptible to change, a visually contingent object. Our mind tries to complete the image we see by suggesting virtual shapes which seem to correspond with the 'outlines', if there are any. For some of us the shape just keeps changing, keeps surprising us. Because of this, the viewer is given a change at interpretation, which  gives us a change to come in contact with that elusive universal truth that hides behind this veil we call reality.

BRETOMER

For AGRIEBORZ, Nick Ervinck used imagery of human organs that he found in medical manuals as construction materials to create an organic form, a larynx (or voice box) 'gone wild'. Though imaginary, AGRIEBORZ seems to retain some familiarity due to its visual connection to human organs, muscles, nerves, etc. Any coherent organization or structure, however, is lacking. The image becomes ungraspable, hovering in a virtual, potential or science-fictional world. AGRIEBORZ was first shown as a part of the show 'Parallellepipida – between art & science' in Museum M, Leuven (B) on a scale of 7 x 8 meters. Although 2D, it has sculptural qualities through its monumental size that incorporates the architecture it is shown in. After that, Ervinck realised AGRIEBORZ as a 3D print. AGRIEBORZ was largely inspired by the conversations Nick Ervinck had with two professors at KU Leuven: Pierre Delaere, a professor researching the larynx, and Koen van Laere, whose research is situated in neurology and nuclear medicine. This cross-fertilization inspired the image of a perfectly symmetrical cyborg figure. A sculpture like AGRIEBORZ not only points to the growing tendency of integrating technology in the human body, it also plays with the intriguing possibility to use living tissue as technological material. Today we are capable of creating replicas of human bones on the basis of 3D-models from CAT-scans. Bio printing, a new technology used to print organs, will be further developed and commercialized. Working in a close parallel to science, Ervinck is able to develop new realities that can in turn inspire scientists.

AGRIEBORZ

EDHOLP looks like a relic, a precious treasure that could be presented in a cabinet of curiosities. This is even highlighted by placing a lamp inside it, like the artifact is insensitive for something so undoubtful and evident like day and night, light and dark. The visual connnection with a skull remains but the lower part seems to be ‘deformed’.  We don’t recognize it as something human.  Is it a remnant of the past, an alien skull, a result of an experiment or a mutant? The image becomes ingraspable, hovering in a virtual, potential or science-fictional world.
As an artist, Ervinck is interested in what lays beneath the skin. In the past he collaborated with scientists and doctors to explore the network of muscles and tendons. The collaboration resulted in the making of AGRIEBORZ, a perfectly symmetrical cyborg figure. For EDHOLP Ervinck studied the old anatomy books and the consistency of bones, much like Henry Moore examined the chicken bones he found in his garden.
The sculpture questions what we experience as authentic and legitimate. This is something Nick Ervinck tries to evoke with all his artworks. He tries to wake up a part of us that would really like to see all the vital images from our tradition ordered, compartmentalized and so culturally tamed. He likes to present other possible worlds which we simply label hybrid, demonic or grotesque. We, in the 21th century, are living at a time of transition, we are looking to establish a new context of ourselves somewhere between a thorough biological knowledge and the virtual world of the future that avails itself of all the latest technological gizmos. The borders between the virtual and the real are narrowing. Ervinck is fascinated by the endless possibilities of 3D printing and genetic mutation. We are already capable of creating replicas of human bones on the basis of 3D-models from CAT-scans. Bioprinting, a new technology used to print organs, will be further developed and commercialized. EDHOLP, also a 3D print, confronts us with these new realities.

EDHOLP

By combining fragmentary elements from the past with a futuristic imagery, a fascinating cyborg-sculpture came into being. Nick Ervinck incorporates past, present and future in this sculpture. At the same time, the work can be placed in an ancient sculptural tradition because of the similarities with the classical portrait bust. With its majestic posture, impressive armour and piercing gaze, NESURAK towers over the visitor as a heroic god statue from the future. The surreal image entails a certain mythical power by referring to knights, science fiction and manga figures. While designing the sculpture, Nick Ervinck was inspired by robots, aliens, monsters and mysterious creatures that were created by artists like H. R. Giger, creatures that play the leading role in many science fiction movies in the struggle for dominion over the earth. On the other hand, the geometric yet monumental visual language refers to the traditional helmets, jewellery and images from ancient cultures, such as the masks and sculptures from the Inca and Mayan culture. Multiple fragmentary pieces and hundreds of hours of manual computer-aided drawing were needed to achieve this impressive sculpture. Through the use of the latest computer software and 3D printing techniques, Nick Ervinck is able to design and execute the complex work. The visual language catches the eye of the visitors, as if their gaze seems to get lost in the structures and shapes. Because of the visual appealing design, the works can be viewed from different angles and perspectives.

NESURAK

The idea of mutation and manipulation has always appealed to Nick Ervinck’s
imagination. In his ceramic works, he uses 3D experiments to explore ideas of
both organic and genetically engineered life forms.
Nick Ervinck created an openness that will attract the viewer to consider his work from
different angles. These works have both a poetic and a critical social dimension. On the
one hand, the sculptural contradictions, such as inside/outside and rough/smooth, make
these works purely poetic. The visual language of these organic sculptures has a surprising
impact.
Organic forms never are a purely human creation. That is why Ervinck points to the great
influence nature exerts on him. Although the series of sculptures should represent flowers
and plants or creatures of flesh and blood, we encounter a clear visual resemblance to the
Gonshi rocks. To acquire an insight into the organic laws of form and rhythm, Nick Ervinck
manipulated their erratic forms into a personal creation. Nevertheless these limestone
rocks, similar to lifeless rocky landscapes, are not deserted from life: according to the
ancient Chinese faith they harbour immortal beings. In other words, they form memories
from other worlds.
Ervinck considers his ceramics, his man-made fossils, as similar creatures from an
unknown universe. By means of a alienating skeleton dance and restrained by their prison
of flesh, they seem to be on the search for a place of their own in the current time and
space. The struggle between dynamism and a static pose is a theme that the artist likes
to explore on many occasions. Not unlike Eadweard Muybrigde did with his zoopraxiscope
(an early film projector), Nick Ervinck tried to capture movement in a stagnant image with
his NOITEM series (2012-2013). From hundreds of preliminary studies, he selects specific
details that are used as an alphabet to tell a new story. That story of complex and almost
violent forms, filled with movement, is obtained by a puzzle of different parts in different proportions and forms that contrasts sharply with the refined and smooth surfaces of
his blob series.
In addition to the bones sculpture, references to nature and food (eg. pepper, tomato,..)
also appear in the ceramic works of Nick Ervinck. These works question how far
we can or should go in manipulating food. Research into crop mutation is not new.
Following the Second World War, the so-called “Atoms for Peace” programme was
established to look into ways to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. In the
gardens of national laboratories in Europe and the former Soviet Union, plants were
irradiated in such a way that different varieties could be produced. With these diseaseresistant mutations scientists hoped to solve the problem of food shortage. It is not
known if these genetically manipulated crops effectively meant an improvement
to public health, but it did seem that now scientists could play God. Today, teams
of researchers continue to look for ways to optimize our crops and food security.
Ervinck is fascinated by the idea of an engineered world.
The influence of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, is also very evident. In this
traditional art form, the vase, stems and leaves are as much a part of the composition
as the flowers. The focus is more on the shape and the lines than on the colours or the
flowers themselves. Each arrangement must also include stems that symbolize heaven,
earth and humanity.
With these sculptures, Nick Ervinck investigates how he can use today’s techniques
to transcend or continue the craftsmanship of the past. The ceramics shock their
spectator with a strong expressiveness. The overwhelmingly powerful colours influence
the perception to the extent that the forms can no longer be interpreted within a
contemporary framework.

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Nick Ervinck