Suzanne Swarts' knowledge of art goes much further than what can be admired within the walls of 'her' Voorlinden. In MASTERS, the museum director shares her insights, experiences and passion in an almost poetic way. Works of art in themselves!Text: Suzanne Swarts | Online editor: Natasha Hendriks
Image: Jan Liégeois & Laziz Hamani
Sometimes the most beautiful is the best hidden. I realized this when I visited the Canal, a stone's throw from Antwerp, for the first time. The gallery is hidden in an old liqueur distillery, amid a relaxing landscape of water and greenery. Giant ships glide past on the Albert Canal, which connects the port of Antwerp with the Maas, as I take my first steps on the Canal Site, a real self-sufficient miniature village of, I am told, more than a hundred apartments and dozens of offices, a restaurant and artist studios. An oriental-style courtyard connects the different parts. Once inside, I am overwhelmed by the beauty of the industrial building, where the power of imperfection is celebrated. Stripes of light fall through the high windows onto the robust walls and concrete floor. Under several layers of paint and plaster, the texture of the underlying stones becomes visible. Rust, peeling paint, patina on wood – all these details make me aware of the history of this building, which was purchased by art and antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt at the end of the last century. He spent twenty years renovating the complex until it became what it is today: the living room of a modern antique dealer, as Vervoordt calls himself. He lives up to that name. The Kanaal collection is a mix of modern and classic. Minimalist painting alternates with age-old objects. Prehistoric artefacts, Roman and Greek busts, fragments and vases, Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and ancient objects stand side by side with contemporary art from all over the world. Together they provide insight into the developments in the world of art and design – not only in Europe, but around the world.
Vervoordt's story is miraculous. He was just in his twenties when he walked through the narrow alleys of the center of Antwerp in the late 1960s, where he came across sixteen Renaissance houses destined for demolition. He saved them from destruction and renovated them into his home and antique shop. In the mid-1980s he did the same with a medieval castle, where he now lives with his wife May. This old gin distillery is his third renovation project, with which he opposes the volatility of the throw-away society. His son Boris has now taken over the company. Art buyers are visiting fewer and fewer galleries, Boris knows. A visit to an art dealer should be a party from start to finish. That party is celebrated exuberantly at Kanaal. Every room exudes a different atmosphere. Where one room is white and pure, the other looks raw and dark. Natural light and carefully placed spotlights put every object in the right light. That could just as easily be a centuries-old bust as a design classic. Vervoordt is not only an art connoisseur, but also an interior expert: many celebrities, including Sting, Kanye West and Robert De Niro and numerous princes and princesses, had their homes decorated by Axel and May.
Thanks to my visit to Kanaal, I understand their power. Walking through the rooms I imagine myself in a three-dimensional painting. Whatever angle I look at the exhibited objects from, they always relate perfectly to each other and are hit by exactly the right light. I walked around the different floors for more than two hours. I marvel at Otto Boll's three-dimensional drawing, which shows a graceful steel curl floating in space. I enter a former chapel, where I am overwhelmed by a vibrant light installation by James Turrell. I let my voice echo in the enormous artwork At the Edge of the World by Anish Kapoor, an eight-meter wide hemisphere that 'sucks in' the visitor. I see how the dark red turns almost black, hear how every sound echoes as if in a tunnel. All these works give me a glimpse into infinity. When I step outside, I am not only aware of our earth's rich artistic past, but also the glorious future we face – if places like Kanaal continue to tell their story.
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