Joëlle Tuerlinckx

Joëlle Tuerlinckx (1958, Brussels)’s approach to space is defined by her use of lightweight, unstable and easily rearrangeable materials. Her sculptures are inextricably linked to their exhibition context, raising questions about the role of site and the perception of space. TOUT CE QUI N’EST / ALLES WAT NIET IS / ALL THAT IS NOT + 9 objets ‘1M3’ (2012) was first presented and acquired by Gaby and Wilhelm Schürmann when shown in a small room – its dimensions slightly reduced now echoed on the floor of the current installation. The work consists of nine geometric forms, described by the artists as ‘objects’ or ‘volumes of air’, based on her personal lexicon. These volumes are rendered only through skeletal metal wire structures, barely visible except through the shadows they cast. Though intangible, their presence feels dense, directing attention to the surrounding space. Air and light, in this context, become materials in their own right. In Tuerlinckx’s practice, everything is material – from atmospheric elements to the eclectic objects collected in the studio. The studio is not only a site of creation but also a place of inventory and observation. Poche d’atelier (période bleue, avec table et 3 cubes (2008)) (2011) captures a fragment of this lived experience. A life-size wall display case presents a scene from the artist’s studio: objects arranged on a table, preserved in their original composition. A grey-painted wall embedded in the installation opens onto another spatial dimension within the gallery. By merging multiple exhibition spaces, these two works create a dialogue between temporalities, between the past and the moment of creation, and between the present and the act of exhibition.