Ancient Alligator Swimming from the Sea to the River, 2019–21
200 x 260 cm, oil on canvas(2 panels)

Geology Island, 2021
170 x 200 cm, oil on canvas

In the paintings of Bram Demunter, one seems to have reached a paradise-like archipelago. The islands, surrounded by swirling masses of water, are populated by frivolous human figures, proud birds of paradise, athletic greyhounds, sleeping cows, bathing ducks and a multitude of lush plants. They seem to blend into a carefree synthesis, without a dominant structure or a prominent narrative imposing itself. All things exist alongside each other and are connected to each other.

For his work, the artist draws inspiration from, among other things, epical stories from the distant past, such as the stories of Gilgamesh, the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and The Adventures of Jason and the Argonautes, adventurous tales full of wild landscapes, interwoven with philosophical wisdom. In addition, he spends many hours in nature himself, where he marvels at the abundance and complexity of organisms.

His paintings are an attempt, amidst the chaos, to arrive at the essence of that landscape – of the mountain, of the sea and the island. Without reducing it or directing a story. The analogue wildernesses of Demunter enter into conversation with the generic algorithmic images of Ian Cheng further in the exhibition, which show a post-Anthropocene environment in which humans populate the landscape together with other beings, but no longer dominate it.