Born in 1971 in Verviers (BE)
Graduating from the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Saint-Luc Liège, Michaël Dans has taken part in solo and collective exhibitions and artists’ residencies. Just as he leads a life on the move, living in turn in Liège, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Berlin, Antwerp, etc., Michael Dans expresses himself through techniques as varied as installations, performance, sculpture, drawing and photography. This diversity can also be found in the subjects he deals with (death, solitude, eroticism, childhood) and the formats used: from drawing to a giant game of jackstraws, as well as throwing 17 precious stones into a meadow as part of Kunst & Zwalm.
Since he began, this eclecticism has allowed him to escape all sorts of categorisation and to surf with ease through the codes of contemporary art. As a result, Michael Dans’ work always has a specific relationship with the exhibition’s context (architectural, conceptual, etc.) so that it generates a particular relevance. In a subtle and playful manner, he takes advantage of the various commissions he receives to construct interventions that are constantly out of step and rich in diversions. On the border of objects and attitudes, he creates works that convey messages which are transmitted through a cynical and critical humour against a background of melancholia, introspection and eroticism.
