“Passion.” When we ask artist Koen Vanmechelen why he enjoys collaborating with our CEO Dirk Ceyssens and our team so much, the answer comes within a second. “I call Dirk with a question, and even though my questions are usually not exactly your core business, you immediately take on the challen
We are visiting the impressive LABIOMISTA, the home base of artist Koen Vanmechelen in Genk. Since 2019, the grounds of the former Zwartberg zoo have been transformed into an evolving work of art: a 24-hectare park featuring sculptures, installations, and animals that play a central role in the artist’s work.
The glass in the buildings of LABIOMISTA—and we see a lot of glass there—was supplied and installed by Group Ceyssens. This is one of the many results of a professional collaboration that blossomed into a beautiful friendship between Koen and Dirk.
“About eight years ago, I was at my wits’ end,” Koen says. “For the Venice Biennale, I had designed a cassette containing glass eggs. That sounds simple, but when you place such a work of art outside at Palazzo Franchetti, all sorts of things can go wrong. Condensation, glass eggs breaking… I called a friend for advice, and he told me: if you need special glass, there is only one person who can help you. That’s how I ended up with Dirk.”
‘In Captivity’, which was showcased alongside works by other world-renowned artists such as Richard Long, Ai Weiwei, Tony Cragg, and Daniel Buren, became a success. Closer to home, in addition to LABIOMISTA, we find the well-known OCMW building Villa Rosa in Sint-Truiden. There, a 12 m long and 3 m high glass wall is the result of a second intense collaboration.
But what exactly connects the industrial world of Group Ceyssens with the artistic world of Koen Vanmechelen? “That’s simple,” Koen answers. “Passion. Everything we do, we want to do at the highest level. Even though the sectors in which we operate seem very different, we truly share that drive to approach everything as professionally as possible. I call Dirk with a question, and he immediately takes on the challenge.”
“Besides, our worlds are not that far apart. I need an enormous amount of glass for my art,” Koen laughs. “And in the rest of my life, just like all of us. Did you know, by the way, that the United Nations declared 2022 the Year of Glass? They didn’t just do that for the sustainability aspect, although it is of course fantastic that things like sound-insulating glass and high-efficiency glass exist and that you can recycle glass endlessly.
Above all, glass is a unique product and one of the most important natural elements with which we have changed our lives compared to 100 years ago. Glass allows us to look outside through a wall. It protects us from the natural elements, while you still remain in the midst of that nature and connect with it. It makes sense, doesn’t it, that for such an important product you only want to work with the very best?”
“That love is mutual,” Dirk laughs. “Authentic Koen Vanmechelens shine in both our demo home in Heusden-Zolder and in C Sight, the showpiece we built in Saint-Tropez. If you add that up, we have already completed about 6 to 7 projects together since 2014. The beautiful thing about Koen is that social engagement, which is expressed in every project. Look at what he achieved with the project in which he crossbred chickens to arrive at diverse and resistant breeds. That project truly contributed to the food challenge in Africa…”
My favorite project that we have realized together so far? That would have to be Protected Paradise. Because of the message behind it: that artwork is truly about sustainability and how the earth is under pressure due to our own consumption behavior. That cage is made from waste from Limburg households. The broken glass under the cage symbolizes the hope from which new life can emerge.”
“Although it was also primarily a logistical masterpiece, a work of art 13m high and weighing several tons with a full glass floor. We had to have the Grand Canal in Venice closed to get the artwork to the Palazzo Franchetti. Tom Hanks was just filming there and had to wait for two hours,” Dirk laughs.
“Those glass blocks are also very difficult to obtain. That only happens when a smelter shuts down its furnaces for maintenance every few years. Fortunately, we have very good contacts with our smelters, and we were allowed to stop by with a wheelbarrow. But coordinating that entire process was quite a challenge. When you then achieve it and see the artwork in all its glory at the Biennale, it’s a triple pleasure.”
Are there any new projects in the pipeline? “In progress, even,” Koen says. “We are currently building Future Garden together, a building on this site of 40m by 20m and 8m high. It will also include a greenhouse again, and who else but Group Ceyssens can manage that successfully?”
The tapir will play the leading role in Future Garden. “This unique animal is sometimes called nature’s failure. It has the head of an elephant, the body of a pig, and the legs of a rhinoceros, and thus fits perfectly into our shared philosophy: by crossing elements with passion, you can achieve extraordinary results,” Koen concludes.
Would you like to visit LABIOMISTA yourself? The summer season began on April 1, 2022, so it is currently open to the general public again. Tickets and info can be found at Homepage | LABIOMISTA.
