The Belgian artist Koen Vanmechelen (1965) is an internationally acclaimed conceptual artist. His work explores the importance of bio-cultural diversity, identity and community. He is best known for his Cosmopolitan Chicken Project (CCP) in which he cross-breeds domesticated chickens from different countries as a statement about the way in which diversity can shape the global cultural and genetic mix.
The artist’s scientific collaborations around the project have earned him numerous awards including the Golden Nica Hybrid Art award in 2013. Vanmechelen has presented his work on almost every continent and is a regular contributor to the Venice Biennale.
From spring 2018, his headquarters will be a former public zoo in the Belgian city of Genk, where he is creating a wildlife park, an educational and research center, and an urban farm, alongside his studio.
Vanmechelen's oeuvre is characterised by diversity: a unique mix of paintings, drawings, photography, innovative 3D-techniques, video, installations and wooden sculptures. Discover a selection of works;
Discover some of Vanmechelen's crossbreeding projects and their supporting foundations; intersecting art, science, sociology and culture. It's the artist way of reflecting on the existential questions of individual identity and life, and it touches on contemporary issues regarding human rights, sustainability and multiculturalism.
June 17, 2020
The virtual exhibition 'in the absence of the artist' brings together works of 33 Belgian artists, for you to enjoy at home.
Selected artists ao. Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Hans Op de Bee...
Accessible Art Fair (ACAF) is a CONTEMPORARY ART event bringing together artists and the public. Founded in 2006, The mission of the Accessible Art Fair remains unchanged: forging a b...
In this Human Rights House, situated on an ancient headland between the lagoon and the sea, one can feel the origin of life that once rose here out of the water. The house rests in an...
Returning for the 58th Biennale di Venezia, the sixth edition of GLASSTRESS brings together a new line-up of leading contemporary artists from Europe, the United States, Latin America,...
The Human Rights Pavilion is an evolving artwork by renowned Belgium artist Koen Vanmechelen, initiated in the context of the 58th Biennial of Venice, 'May you live in Interesting Time...
In this exhibition, international contemporary artists will offer takes on some of the most famous and beloved works of European art. The starting point is the emergence of Europe’s mo...