FREDERIK LIZEN
biography | cv
born in 1986
in Mortsel, Belgium.
​
Frederik Lizen uses the city of Antwerp as a studio, appropriating non-spaces or grey areas in the public space as his canvas. His colourful work, preferably painted on wooden fences securing construction sites, stimulate a dialogue and converge the private act of looking with public habits of a broad audience. This process works both ways. In addition to the vision, expression and background of the artist, the works are also determined by the city itself. Along with the fact that he does not start on a blank canvas, Lizen intentionally leaves his paintings untouched for longer periods of time, subjecting the piece to external factors. It provides the artist with a certain kind of freedom, making his best artistic decisions outside by ‘quickly looking left, right, straightforward’. By removing his work from the street, the artist changes the initial short-term function of the wooden panels into something with a more permanent nature.
At the other hand, the artist feels a strong need to escape the city, fleeing towards the countryside where he consistently observes his surroundings, which results in series of work on paper. This paradoxical approach is what defines Lizen’s body of work, which consists both of large monumental paintings and smaller work on paper, each strongly determined by the surroundings in which they are created.
To conclude, the artist uses language, slang, typography and puns; but also animals, as an essential part of his compositions to provide his work with multiple levels of interpretations and to talk about current issues, mankind and human behaviour with humour and irony.
​
TEXT BY: LIEN CRAPS 2020
photo by Yves Joris
_solo and group exhibitions
2024
The crystal ship, Art festival, (Oostende)
2024
La Grande Bouffe, group exhibition, Barbé Gallery (Gent)
2024
Aanwinst, docu on VRT max
2024
Aanwinst, group exhibition, C-mine (Genk)
2024
Echoes II group exhibition, Geukens & De Vil projects (Antwerpen)
2023
The long goodbye, group exhibtion, Geukens & De Vil ( Antwerpen)
2023-heden
Group exhibition and collection, De Merode (Ronse)
2023
De grote vogelshow, Group exhibition, Pizza Gallery (Antwerpen)
2023-2024
Art’s Birthday, inauguration of public painting ‘Niet Schelde’ on the facade of MHKA (Antwerpen)
2022
Finnis Terrae, Group Exhibition on several locations (Antwerpen)
2022
Hot spot #1 Painting, Narcisse Tordoir invites, group exhibition, Valerie Traan (Antwerpen)
2022
Solo Exhibition, Geukens & De Vil, Art Rotterdam
2022
As a alternative to Blah Blah Blah, Group exhibition, Murals inc (Rotterdam)
2021
That’s all folks, group exhibition , Geukens & De Vil (Knokke)
2021
Solo exhibition, Murphy lives in the South of Spain,Geukens & De Vil (Knokke)
2021
Let’s get out, Art festival/group exhibition, Francis Maere (Ooidonk, Gent)
2021
artist residency, Arteventura, Corte Concepcion( Andalucia, Spain)
2020
Confined challenge, online group exhibition during confinement, organised by Geukens & De Vil.
2020
Jean ai assez, Solo exhibition, Geukens & De Vil (Antwerpen)
2020
Daily Nightshift,Group, Extracity (Antwerpen)
2019
Solo exhibition, Edition populaire, vitrinegalerij (Antwerpen)
2019
International affairs KOP, public installation with Clemens Behr (Antwerpen)
2019
Biënnale Van België; floralieënhal, SMAK, (Gent)
2019
De vuursalamander,letterenhuisfestival, galerie Forbidden city (Antwerpen)
2018 -heden
Verbeke Foundation, Time within time (Kemzeke)
2015
curator/director/artist Openbaar museum, OMU, 2de editie (Antwerpen)
2015
curator/organiser/artist ‘Please use the other door’ origin + source, Bernaerts gallery( Antwerpen)
2014
curator/director/artist, Openbaar museum, OMU,(Antwerpen)
2014
Atelier Lenke (Dresden, Germany)
2013
curator/organiser/artist ‘Please use the other door’ Bernaerts gallery (Antwerpen)
2013
‘Nema tog podruma’ sic 44 (Antwerpen)
2013
‘one armed man’ designcentrum winkelhaak (Antwerpen)
2013
‘union match’ Galerie Jacques Gorus (Antwerpen)
2013
‘Poppositions off fair’ Brass (Brussel)
2013
‘5 commercial business openings’ belegstraat(Antwerpen)
2012
‘zachte revolutie!’ cultuurcentrum (Wemmel)
2012
‘de muur’ Duo tentoonstelling met DZIA, cultuurcentrum (Berchem)
2012
‘Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proven innocent’, openbare sculptuur(Antwerpen)
2012
‘nuchelen’ (Maaseik)
2012
‘Zwart’, Duo tentoonstelling met Bram Kinsbergen, coninxplein(Antwerpen)
2011
Free L Zein, verlatstraat, (Antwerpen)