LAb(au)

LAb,laboratory for Art and Urbanism, is an artist group founded in 1997 in Brussels, Belgium. In their practice, the artists investigate the relationship between art and language through written words and other forms of coded language—semantics and signs—semiotics. Likewise, they take a linguistic approach, employing information and communication science in the field of art. Likewise, LAb considers art an epistemology based on a linguistic approach, that further examines the influence of advanced technologies in the forms, methods, and content of art. Members are: Manuel Abendroth and Jérôme Decock. Former members were: co-founder Naziha Mestaoui, Grégoire Verhaegen, Pieter Heremans, Alexandre Plennevaux and Els Vermang.
From the name 'LAb' one can read it as ‘LAB’ or ‘BAU’ (ger. = construction / providing a link to Bauhaus The artist name plays on the difference between the phonetic and the written understanding, and as such underlines the group interest in the relation between art and language.

WWW lab-au.com

Laboratory for Art and Urbanism

With a background in architecture its members and projects are concerned with the construct of ‘space’ and the way it can be planned, experienced, and conceptualised in the Information Age. The attention lies in the relation between architecture, light and advanced technologies.
The projects of LAb deal with processes and systems based on different rules. This method is determined by the technological and artistic parameters and qualified by the artists as metadesign.

MediaRuimte

The alliance between theory and practice motivated the group to found the gallery 'MediaRuimte' in the city centre of Brussels in 2003. The gallery stands for LAb's understanding as a collaborative art agency engaging in a trans-disciplinary work, being expressed through a program ranging not only over exhibitions, screenings and audiovisual performances, but also to conferences, artist-residencies and workshops. Featured artists range from Manfred Mohr to Nicolas Schöffer, Casey Reas, Limiteazero and Frank Bretschneider to Mika Vainio. The space closed in 2012.

Société

In 2015 the members of LAb, Els Vermang and Manuel Abendroth, founded the exhibition platform Société to continue the experience of Mediaruimte, which closed in 2012. The new platform's focus was to examine the heritage of conceptual art on actual art practice through thematic group shows bringing both generations into dialogue.
The exhibitions explored themes such as: Time, Measurements, Xerox art, and protocols, among many others.

Solo-Shows

2024 : painting, writing, calculating, transcoding, Dan Galeria, Sao Paulo 09.08. - 05.10.24
2024 : POSSIBLES | PROBABLES, Botanique, Brussels, 29.05. - 04.08.24
2024 : FARBEN | FERNAB, Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels 21.05. - 28.07.24
2022 : Zeit Zeichen, Zeichen Zeit, Kunstmuseum Heidenheim 19.11.2022 - 26.02.2023
2020 : Ce mouvement qui deplace les lignes, Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach, Brussels, 26.05 - 29.08.2020
2020 : yes, no: perhaps, Mario Mauroner Contemporary art, Vienna 18.01 - 21.03.2020
2019 : If Then Else, Casino Luxembourg Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg City, 27.09.-05.01.2020
2017 : Langage codé, Galerie Fontana, Amsterdam 04.11 - 18.02.2017
2016 : Langage codé, La Patinoire/Galerie Valérie Bach, Brussels 01.09 - 22.10.2016
2016 : Calculations, Permutations, Notations—The Mayor Gallery / Project Space Bermondsey, London, 13.01 - 31.01.2016
2015 : rouge, vert, bleu, blanc, Centre des arts d’Enghien-les-Bains, Paris, 09.04 - 28.06.2015
2014 : zéro | un - Galerie Denise René, Paris, 06.02 - 22.03.2014
2014 : writing, drawing, painting, DAM Gallery, Berlin, 31.01.-02.04.2014
2014 : binary waves, Le Centquatre in the context of the public art program, Paris 16.02 - 23.03.2014
2011 : Tessel, Musée de Moulage, Lyon 08.06 - 13.07.2011
2011 : framework f5x5x3 - Aubette, Ososphère Strassbourg 11.02 - 20.02.2011
2011 : diffraction, TAG institute, The Hague 07.12.2010 - 17.01.2011
2010 : m0t1v, Kunst-Station Sankt Peter, Cologne 08.01 - 12.02.2010
2009 : time | emit - DAM Gallery, Berlin 21.02 - 28.03.2009
2009 : fLUX - Galerie Roger Tator, Lyon 23.04 - 01.07.2009
2009 : m0t1v - Galerie Numeriscausa, Paris 30.04 - 06.06.2009
2008 : 16n framework f5x5x3 - Tschumi Pavillon, Groningen 18.12.2008 - 15.02.2009
2006 : space, 12m4s, Pierre Pergé, Le Grand Sablon, Brussels 07.09. - 17.09.2006
2005 : liquid space, Le Brakke Grond, Amsterdam 06.05 - 16.05.2005
2002 : eSPACE, Le Blac, Theatre Marni, Brussels, 17.05 - 26.05.2002
2000 : iSKIN, Musée de la Mode et du Textile, Le Louvre, Paris 10.10 - 29.10.2000

Group exhibitions (selection)

2024 : Languages et Imaginaires, Gaité Lyrique, Paris, 02.09 - 06.09.24
2023 : The Seduction of the Bureaucrat, De Garage, Mechelen 12.03 – 04.05.2023
2023 : AXIOM#2, MAL ZEIT _ ZEIT MALEN, KBK, Brussels 11.02 – 26.02.23
2022 : The tallest towers start off the ground, DAN Galeria, São Paulo, 24.09 - 22.12.2022
2022 : On the Lockout, Fondation CAB, Brussels, 06.09.2022 – 06.01.2023
2022 : PEINTURE: OBSOLESCENCE DÉPROGRAMMÉE, Hospice Saint-Roch d'Issoudun 01.02 – 08.05.2022
2021 : X - FRAC des Pays de la Loire, Carquefou, 19.05 - 02.02.2022
2021 : Mika Vanio retrospective, KIASMA, Helsinki 20.8.2020–10.1.2021
2019 : Imaging Cities, Song Eun Art Space, Seoul, 25.03 - 08.06.2019
2019 : D’un soleil à l’autre, Base Sous-marine, Bordeaux 08.03 - 19.05.2019
2019 : Action <> Reaction, Kunsthal, Rotterdam 22.09.2018 - 20.01.2019
2018 : A Brave New World, MAAT, Lisbon, 22.10 - 28.10.2018
2018 : Untitled, Richard Taittinger, New York 01.03 - 29.04.2018
2017 : Art Pavilion, Grand Palais World Exhibition, Astana 10.06 - 10.09.2017
2016 : Eutopia, Museum M, Leuven 20.10.2016 - 17.01.2017
2016 : Terminal P, La Panacée, Montpellier 17.06 - 28.08.2016
2016 : ACT, Asia Culture Center, Gwangju 25.11 - 31.07.16
2016 : Digital abstraction, Haus der elektronischen Künste, Basel 07.04 - 22.05.16
2016 : Exo-Evolution, ZKM, Karlsruhe 30.10 - 28.02.16
2014 : Physicality, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Montreal 23.05.-01.06.2014
2014 : Artist / Novelist, MOMA, New York, 08.01 - 31.03.2014
2014 : Noir et Blanc, Galerie Denise René, Paris 17.01 - 28.02.2014
2013 : Vasarely Hommage, Musée d’Ixelles, Brussels 17.10 - 19.01.2013
2013 : Poème Numérique, Atomium, Brussels, 22.06.-20.09.2013
2013 : space oddity, Le Grand Hornu CID, Hornu 18.11 - 10.03.2013
2013 : Noise, Biennale di Venezia, Venice, 30.05 - 20.09.2013
2012 : Artificial garden, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, 04.12 - 23.12.2012
2011 : Tender Buttons, Overpoort, Ghent 30.11 - 18.12.2011
2010 : West Arch, Ludwig Forum, Aachen 12.09 - 14.11.2010
2010 : From kinetic to digital art, Fondation Vasarely, Aix-en-Provenance, 02.06 - 11.07.2010
2010 : Digital Nights, Singapore Art Museum, Singapore 16.09 - 26.09.2010
2009 : Young Belgium Painters Award, Bozar, Brussels 25.06 - 13.09.2009
2009 : Holy Fire, iMAL, Brussels 18.04 - 30.04.2008
2008 : Emocao Art.ificial, Itau, Sao Paolo, 01.06 - 14.09.2008
2006 : Neo-beginners, TENT / Witte de With, Rotterdam 31.08 - 22.09.2006
2003 : Urban lab, Bauhaus Dessau, Dessau 10.10 - 18.10.2003
2003 : Polygone Denity, New Museum, New York 23.01 - 23.02.2003
2000 : La Beauté, Louvre, Paris 10.10 - 29.10.2000
1998 : transArchitectures 02 / 03, NAI, Netherlands Architecture Institute, Rotterdam 18.11 - 12.12.1998

Public artworks

2028 : Source of Uncertainty, Podiumkunstengebouw, Leuven, Belgium
2026 : listen to the universe, RTT building Kortrijk, Belgium
2025 : fLUx, Union Station, Toronto, Canada
2024 : XXXXXXXX, Stadtbibliothek Heidenheim, Germany
2021 : Kontexte, crossover ‘Loredana Marchi‘ Brussels, Belgium
2019 : Zäit Wuert, Casino Luxembourg, Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg
2019 : Palimpsest, Wijkpark De Porre, Ghent, Belgium
2019 : 365, De Hoorn, Leuven, Belgium
2016 : 365, Quai 10 and La Vigie, Charleroi, Belgium
2016 : Lux Aeternae, AZF Mémorial, Toulouse, France
2014 : 10e-15, Centre de recherche Femto, Temis Science, Besançon, France
2014 : SiloScope, Quai Jules Guesde, Vitry-sur-Seine, Paris, France
2009 : mosaique 15x26, Maison de la Mécatronique, Annecy-le-Vieux, France

Permanent artworks in semi-public collections

2021 : yes, no : perhaps - Hager Stiftung, Blieskastel, Germany
2017 : origamiSquare 59 squares - Linklaters, Madrid, Spain
2017 : origamiCeiling 160 Rhombi - Reynaerts, Duffel, Belgium
2017 : origamiCeiling 20 squares 54 kites - Cosnova, Frankfurt, Germany
2017 : origamiPenrose 71 kites and darts - Aegon Amersfoort, The Netherlands
2016 : origamiSquare 192 squares - Linklaters, Brussels, Belgium
2016 : SwarmDots - Fidelity, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
2015 : chronoPrints - Zebrastraat, Ghent, Belgium