BARBÉ gallery in Ghent presents its first solo show with Belgian artist Gideon Kiefer.

BARBÉ gallery in Ghent presents its first solo show with Belgian artist Gideon Kiefer. In the past years, Kiefer has exhibited in numerous international solo and group shows in galleries, art fairs and institutional venues. Recently he was nominated for Le Prix de dessin de la Fondation d’art contemporain Daniel et Florence Guerlain 2025. 

Kiefer’s work explores the unreliability of memory. His fascination with how memories are distorted, embellished, or even completely fabricated results in intimate and peculiar drawings and paintings that merge reality with imagination. Throughout his entire oeuvre, he draws inspiration from his hometown, the houses of his grandparents, his grandfather’s art books, places, and friends who have held special meaning for him.

In The Fragile Excavation, Gideon Kiefer archaeologically excavates a childhood memory. It is the underground shelter of his neighbor, where they spent much of their youth, that is brought to light. The sense of comfort and the mystique of their hidden clubhouse play a central role in these works.

On a secondary level, Kiefer’s work is often interpreted as socio-critical. Over the years, his work has increasingly taken on an apocalyptic tone, closely linked to the growing climate crisis. Draped sheets, inspired by the immense covers used to protect melting glaciers; the landscapes and forests of his hometown, enclosed in architectural settings; and stuffed giant birds that seem to herald impending doom—these are just a few of the many metaphors that represent this theme, giving his entire oeuvre an uncanny atmosphere.

Kiefer employs traditional (oil painting) techniques, only to then break academic conventions with the intent of “painting academicism to pieces.” His technical experimentation with painting is an ongoing evolution, which he delves deeper into by using stylistic contrasts within a single work or by mixing different media, such as spray paint, markers, stencils, and collage.

Handwritten texts, revealing hidden messages—often focused on current themes like climate change, but also including personal notes or GPS coordinates—add to the layering that is essential for the artist. Kiefer balances between the intimate and the global, and between reality and fiction, creating his own microcosm. His work invites reflection on the fragility of our memories and the urgency of the world around us, with each piece organically contributing to a narrative that is both personal and universal.

'The Fragile Excavation' - Gideon Kiefer
​From 1st of February 2025 - 9th of March 2025
​BARBÉ
​Penitentenstraat 29, 9000 Gent

Images

GIDEON KIEFER I Was Overwhelmed By Its Size, 2024 oil, Uni Posca marker, acrylic, ballpoint pen, pencil, colour pencil and Staedler marker on plywood 17,5 x 19,5 cmGideon_Kiefer_Johan_Jacobs_300dpi (1)

GIDEON KIEFER Hypogeum, 2024 oil, acrylic, spray paint, ballpoint pen, pencil, permanent marker and Staedler marker on plywood 14,5 x 21 cm

Gideon_Kiefer_10_dec_2021-20 (1)

GIDEON KIEFER Abri Erotique, 2024 oil, Uni Posca marker, pencil Stabilo marker, acrylic and spray paint on plywood 15 x 15 cmGIDEON KIEFER Now the Party is Through, 2024 oil, acrylic, spray paint, Uni Posca marker, pencil, Stabilo marker, Staedler marker, soldering and collage on a book cover 22 x 29,5 cm

GIDEON KIEFER Texture Like Sun, 2024 oil, spray paint, acrylic, pencil, Uni Posca marker, ballpoint pen, Stabilo marker and soldering on plywood 15 x 21 cmGIDEON KIEFER Far from the Noise, 2024 oil, glue, sand, soldering, spray paint, Uni Posca marker, ballpoint pen, pencil on plywood 34 x 59 cm