Lucile Bertrand’s creations are characterized by pure lines and an economy of means that nonetheless hold considerable semantic depths. From everyday tragedies or large-scale disasters, her visual metaphors bring forward a subtle and nuanced landscape of political and human crises. Often, the artist collects testimonies which she then traces, measures and juxtaposes to form mapped itineraries. Between lightness and gravity, between taking flight and falling, Lucile Bertrand poetically evokes themes of displacement, absence and the fragility of life.
“In today’s society, beset by doubt and instability, Lucile Bertrand stands as an observer of the world and shares with us, through various images tinted bitter sweet, her personal vision of a kind of disorientation, a precarious balance that can, at any time, tip the course of things on an upward or downward pathway; leaving a sense of vertigo.”
Catherine Henkinet, in exhibition catalogue
Artists’ duet: an exchange, January 2012
Lucile Bertrand was born in France in 1960, she moved to New York in 1995 before settling in 2001 in Brussels. She regularly exhibits in Europe and the United States, with exhibitions at the Centre Culturel de Namur (BE), the Kentler International Drawing Space in Brooklyn (US), Contretype – centre de photographie in Brussels (BE), the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles in Paris (FR) and the Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek in Brussels (BE), and her work can be found in several collections such as the Art Omi Collection, New York (US), the Jeju Museum of Art (KR) and the Musée d’Ixelles in Brussels (BE).
[ARTICLES]
Selected essays:
Press:
Art OMI collection, New York (US)
The Rare Books & Manuscripts Library of the Pennsylvania State University (US)
Kentler International Drawing Space, New York (US)
Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju (KR)
Library of Cergy (FR)
KBR – Royal Library of Belgium, Brussels (BE)
Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels (BE)
Source O Rama Museum, Chaudfontaine (BE)
Galila Barzilaï-Hollander Collection, Brussels (BE)
I dwell in possibility, Losange, Brussels (BE)
Voyageurs Immobiles, Irène Laub Gallery, Brussels (BE)
One+ One+ : Elsewhere, Centre Culturel de Namur, Namur (BE)
They used to sing, Irène Laub Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Almost, het Labo atrium, Tokyo (JP)
Amnesia, Contretype, art center for photography, Brussels (BE)
Travelers and Strangers, Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn (US)
No Man is an Island, Keitelman Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Tu te souviens ? (Do You Remember?), Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek, Brussels (BE)
Sur le Fil (On the Tightrope), Keitelman Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Spring, (Em72), Brussels (BE)
Monographie Arts 00+4, La Médiatine, Brussels (BE)
Lots of love from…, site-specific installation, Comptoir du Nylon, Brussels (BE)
Dear Neighbor…, Cave, Brooklyn, New York (US)
L’Arbre à Lettres, Paris (FR)
Galerie Büsch, Berlin (DE)
Cloister of the Main Library, Cergy (FR)
Diffracted Self, Irène Laub Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Hosting, La Centrale, Brussels (BE)
Le pas suspendu, Irène Laub Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Traversées, Centre d’Art Contemporain du Luxembourg belge, Site de Montauban, Buzenol (BE)
Les heures sauvages, cur. Stéphanie Pécourt, Centre Wallonie Bruxelles, Paris (FR)
En quelques mots…, cur. Lucile Bertrand, La Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek, Brussels (BE)
Nuages, cur. Claire Leblanc, La Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek, Brussels (BE)
Drawing a line, cur. Klaudia Ofwona Draber, Five Myles, New York (US)
I feel really awake, cur. Claire Leblanc, Maison du Peuple / Volkshuis, Saint-Gilles (BE)
Miroirs 3 – De terre et de ciel, cur. Myriam Louyest and Christophe Veys, Parc d’Enghien, Enghien (BE)
Achrome, Irène Laub Gallery, Bruxelles (BE)
Residence à L’Escaut avec Collectif Hic Sunt, L’Escaut Architectures, Brussels (BE)
Variations, Art’Loft, Lee-Bauwens Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Cartographic Anxiety, Collective Hic Sunt, Arondit contemporary art center, Paris (FR)
Focus on the Flatfile: Inter(action), Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, New York (US)
Selections from the Kentler Flatfiles: New Additions, Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, New York (US)
The Right To Be Human, Thessaloniki Center of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki (GR)
Projection of video amnesia, May 24, seminar Memory and Conflicts resolution, Institute of Political Sciences Louvain-Europe, Université Catholique de Louvain (BE)
Cent artistes en liberté, site-specific installation, Jewish Museum of Belgium, Brussels (BE)
Projection of video amnesia, March 24, Africa Museum and Bozar, Brussels (BE)
Boudoir Féministe, Amazone, Brussels (BE)
Boudoir Féministe, Amazone, Brussels (BE)
Summer chaud, Keitelman Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Stack/File: Selections from the Kentler Flatfiles, cur. Ana Torok (Whitney Museum of American art), Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, New York (US)
Endless, Keitelman Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Projection of video amnesia, Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts,Brussels (BE)
Valentin, cur. Isabelle Baines, La Quincaillerie, Brussels (BE)
From Gent to Ghent, residency and exhibition at Omi International Arts Center, Ghent, New York (US)
Partager le sensible (Sharing the Sensitive), Magasin de Papier Gallery, Mons (BE)
Inside Out: Selections from the Kentler Flatfiles, cur. Laura Phipps (Whitney Museum of American Art), Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, New York (US)
Duo d’artistes: un échange, installation in situ, ISELP, Brussels (BE)
Pop Up, liens artistiques (Artistic Links), Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels (BE)
Cumulus Momemtum #1, Le Corbusier Apartment-studio, Paris, and La Cité radieuse, Marseille (FR)
Onze (Eleven), cur. Benoît Félix, Exit 11 Gallery, Grand Leez (BE)
Non, pas ce soir (Not Tonight), cur. La Trame, Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels (BE)
In Bloom, cur. Karen Shaw, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, New York (US)
Flower Power, Keitelman Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Sites Specific ’10, cur. Karen Shaw, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, New York (US)
Close Encounter, cur. Eunhee Yang, Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju (KR)
Qui est le maître ?, Lemniscate Gallery, Toulouse (FR)
Rose, c’est la vie, cur. Bernard Villers, CO21, Contemporary Color Center, Brussels (BE)
Duo avec Eric Aupol (Duo with), Marijke Schreurs Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Parcels for the Promised Land, Kunstbüro, Berlin (DE)
Autour des éditions La Trame (Artists with éditions La Trame), Saint-Hubert Art Bookstore, Brussels (BE)
Duo avec Peter Hulsmans (Duo with), Marijke Schreurs Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Point Zero, Marijke Schreurs Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Bruxelles, territoire de convergences, cur. Anne-Laure Chamboissier and Bernard Marcelis, Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels (BE)
Bruxelles, territoire de convergences, cur. Christine Ollier et Lilou Vidal, Les Filles du Calvaire Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Zone de Turbulences, Wolu-Culture, Brussels (BE)
L’eau et les rêves (Water and Dreams), curator Alexandra Roussopoulos,Kamchatka Gallery, Paris (FR)
Drawing file, Kentler Drawing Center, Brooklyn, New York (US)
IM-agined, collaboration with the dance company Joji Inc, SCRP Festival, Einthoven (NL)
Shingle Walls, permanent installation, Central-Plaza, Brussels (BE)
Elles, site-specific installation, Les Brasseurs Contemporary Art Center, Liège (BE)
Mer, cur. Paul Gonze, Atelier 340 Muzeum, Brussels, (BE)
A(rt)ctivisme, Jacques Franck Cultural Art Centre, Brussels (BE)
White, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork (IE)
Horsefeathers, Etc., cur. by Thalia Vrachopoulos, Tenri Cultural Institute of New York, New York (US)
Capturing Clouds, permanent installation, Source O Rama, Chaudfontaine (BE)
Le Petit Chaperon rouge, Archetype Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Accrochage, Archetype Gallery, Brussels (BE)
Identity Papers, Porte 11 Gallery, Brussels (BE)
NeonNord, site-specific project, Brussels (BE)
Diaphanous and Illusion, site-specific installation, ISELP, Brussels (BE)
Reactions, Exit Art, New York (US)
Second Nature, Kingsborough Community College Gallery, Brooklyn, New York (US)
100 artists for the 100 years of the Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, site-specific installation, Petit-Château, Brussels (BE)
Panorama-city, Gretel’s File, Zürich (CH)
The Journeys In Between, site-specific installation, Solvay Library, Brussels (BE)
Invited competition for permanent outdoor installation, Brussels South train station (BE)
Line Project, outdoor site-specific installation, with Artspace, New Haven (US)
Main Exhibition, Chamberlain Building, New Haven (US)
Advent, site-specific installation, Corpus Christi Church, New York (BE)
Women in the Visual Arts, cur. Lisa Dennison, (Guggenheim Museum, New York), Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, CT, New York (US)
Wide Open, Gretel’s File, Zürich (CH)
War, Postmasters, New York (US)
The Surrealist Evolution, Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York (US)
Group Show, Bingo Hall Gallery, Brooklyn, New York (US)
Women in the Visual Arts, cur. Lisa Dennison, (Guggenheim Museum, New York), Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, CT, New York (US)
Right Bank Gallery, Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, New York (US)
Women in the Visual Arts, cur. Andrea Miller-Keller (Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford) , Erector Square Gallery, New Haven, Hartford (US)
Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s Open Studio, New York (US)
Two-person exhibition, Jacques Guhl Gallery, Montreux (CH)
Contretype, art center for photography, Brussels (BE)
Lab’attoir, Thessaloniki (GR)
Institute of Political Sciences Louvain-Europe, Louvain-la-Neuve University (BE), Africa Museum and Bozar, Brussels (BE)
Seminar Art & Memory, Louvain-la-Neuve University (BE)
Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek, Brussels (BE)
Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts, Brussels (BE)
Grant from WBI, Wallonie-Bruxelles International (BE)
Grant from the Kentler International Drawing Space, for the solo exhibition Travelers and Strangers, Brooklyn, New York (US)
Grant from Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and Les Amis de la Maison des Arts de Schaerbeek for the video amnesia (BE)
Residency at Omi International Arts Center, Ghent, New York (US), with a grant from WBI, Wallonie-Bruxelles International
Acquisition of artist book La Croisée des Chemins, by Residency and commission for a site-specific installation, Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju, (KR) for the Close Encounter exhibition
Residency and commission for a site-specific installation, Islip Museum, East Islip, New York (US), with a grant from WBI, Wallonie-Bruxelles International
Grant from WBI, Wallonie-Bruxelles International for participation to the International Women Artists Biennale at Incheon, Seoul (KR)
Commission from Brussels-Museums-Exhibitions/City of Brussels for the Lots of Love from… project, Comptoir du Nylon, Brussels (BE)
Commission from the Institut Supérieur pour l’Étude du Langage Plastique, Brussels (BE) for a site-specific installation in the Diaphanous and Illusion exhibition
Commission from the French Institute for The Journeys In Between, in collaboration with the British Council, Solvay Library, Brussels (BE)
Grant for personal catalogue, in collaboration with Éditions L’Arbre à Lettres, Direction des Affaires Culturelles de la Ville de Paris (FR)
