Suzanne Swarts' knowledge of art goes far beyond 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 best things are best hidden. I realized this when I first visited Kanaal, a stone's throw from Antwerp. The gallery is tucked away in an old liquor distillery, amid a soothing landscape of water and greenery. Over the Albert Canal, which connects the port of Antwerp to the Meuse, giant ships glide by as I take my first steps on the Kanaal site, a veritable self-sufficient miniature village of, I'm told, more than a hundred apartments and dozens of offices, a restaurant and artists' studios. An oriental-looking courtyard garden connects the various 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 tall windows onto the sturdy walls and concrete floor. Under several layers of paint and plaster, the texture of underlying bricks becomes visible. Rust, peeling paint, patina on wood - all these details make me aware of the history of this building, which was bought by art and antiques dealer Axel Vervoordt at the end of the last century. For twenty years, he was busy renovating the complex until it was allowed to be what it is today: the living room of a modern antique dealer, as Vervoordt calls himself. He lives up to that name. Kanaal's collection is a mix of modern and classical. Minimalist painting is interspersed with ancient objects. Prehistoric artifacts, Roman and Greek busts, fragments and vases, Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and antique objects stand side by side with contemporary art from all corners of the world. Together they provide insight into the developments of 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 strolled through the narrow alleys of downtown Antwerp in the late 1960s, where he came across sixteen Renaissance houses destined for demolition. He saved them from destruction and refurbished them into his home and, at the same time, antique store. 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 refurbishment project, with which he opposes the fleetingness of disposable society. Meanwhile, his son Boris has taken over the business. Art buyers are visiting fewer and fewer galleries, Boris knows. A visit to an art gallery should be a party from start to finish. That party is celebrated lavishly at Kanaal. Each room breathes a different atmosphere. Where one room is white and pure, another looks raw and dark. Natural light and carefully placed spotlights put every object in the right light. This could just as easily be an ancient bust as a design classic. Indeed, Vervoordt is not only an art expert, but also an interior expert: many celebrities, including Sting, Kanye West and Robert De Niro, as well as numerous princes and princesses, had their homes decorated by Axel and May.
Thanks to my visit to Canal, I understand their power. Walking through the spaces, I imagine myself in a three-dimensional painting. From whatever angle I look at the objects on display, each time they relate perfectly to one another, are touched by just the right light. For more than two hours I walk around the different floors. I marvel at Otto Boll's three-dimensional drawing, which makes a graceful steel curl float in space. I step into a former chapel, where I am overwhelmed by a shimmering light installation by James Turrell. I let my voice echo in Anish Kapoor's enormous artwork At the Edge of the World, an eight-meter-wide hemisphere that "sucks in" the visitor. I see how the dark red turns almost black, hear how each sound echoes after as in a tunnel. All these works give me a glimpse into the infinite. When I step outside, I am aware not only of the rich artistic past our earth has, but also the glorious future we face - if places like Canal continue to tell their story.
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