Nocturnal Journey: Hans Op de Beeck

Visual artist Hans Op de Beeck (1969) will transform the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp this spring into a mysterious, deserted night park. A large, immersive walk will lead visitors through an enigmatic world where sculptures of characters, still lifes, animals, and architectural elements merge into a surreal and captivating experience, wrapped in the dark undertones of the night. This book offers the opportunity to relive the unique atmosphere of Night Journey again and again, even after the exhibition. AUTHOR: Hans Op de Beeck (BE) produces large installations, sculptures, films, drawings, paintings, photographs and texts. His work is a reflection on our complex society and the universal questions of meaning and mortality that resonate within it. He regards man as a being who stages the world around him in a tragi-comic way. Above all, Op de Beeck is keen to stimulate the viewers' senses, and invite them to really experience the image. He seeks to create a form of visual fiction that delivers a moment of wonder and silence. Over the past 20 years Op de Beeck realised numerous monumental 'sensorial' installations, in which he evoked what he describes as 'visual fictions': tactile deserted spaces as an empty set for the viewer to walk through or sit down in, sculpted havens for introspection. In many of his films though, in contrast with those depopulated spaces, he prominently depicts anonymous characters. Hans Op de Beeck was born in Turnhout in 1969. He lives and works in Brussels, Belgium. Op de Beeck has shown his work extensively in solo and group exhibitions around the world. SELLING POINTS: . This book captures the essence of Hans Op de Beeck's immersive exhibition, allowing readers to revisit the mysterious night park experience long after leaving the KMSKA . Filled with evocative images, the book preserves the dark, surreal ambiance of the exhibition, transporting readers back to the haunting, deserted park setting . Offering a deeper look at the artist's creative process, the book provides context and interpretation that enriches the experience of Night Journey . Published to accompany the exhibition Hans Op de Beeck: Nachtreis at the KMSKA, Antwerp, from March 21 to August 17, 2025 70 colour illustrations