Panamarenko – Stardust

Panamarenko, (1940-2019), born in Antwerp as Henri van Herwegen, was an artist and inventor known for his love of creating large-scale sculptures that resembled surrealist imaginations of planes or flying machines. To arrive at these sculptures, Panamarenko made numerous drawings, often very technical, and “Stardust”, the exhibition on view at Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery in Knokke pays tribute to this unique body of work, as well as to small models and sculptures.

The gallery references a transformative moment for Panamarenko, when he met Joseph Beuys in the early 1960s at the Wide White Space Gallery in Antwerp. At the time, he was more interested in performance-based work but when Beuys allegedly said to him that technology and science could be art, “a whole new artistic world opened up to him”. From this moment, he began experimenting more with a spirit of an inventor – creating the fantastical objects for which he became known such as airplanes, flying machines, flying cars. During this time, his technical drawings were an important part of his process, laying the groundwork for the complex constructions.

“Stardust” features over 30 original works dating between 1970-2004. Much of the work on view comes from private collections, including the estate of American gallerist Ronald Feldman. Feldman, who worked with artists such as Beuys and Warhol, gave Panamarenko two exhibitions, in 1993 and 2001. Highlights in the exhibition include the Raven’s Variable Matrix model, the Umbilly wing and three Aercheopterix originals.

On the occasion of the exhibition, the complete collection of objects and drawings will be published in the form of a book entitled “Panamarenko: Stardust”.

“Stardust” will be on view at Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery through September 15th, 2024.

Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery