Charles Degeyter (b. 1994, Bruges) is an interdisciplinary artist based in Ghent (BE). Working with traditional and contemporary production methods ranging from engravings, and taxidermy to 3D printing and lasercutting, Degeyter’s work delves into contrasting subjects such as anthropology and popular culture. His work often blurs the boundaries between these two constructs, emphasizing the enduring social relevance of anthropological artefacts and rituals in the present day. With diverse references, ranging from Egyptian sarcophagi and fossil plaques to squeaky toys, his work challenges traditional canonical models of art history.

 

Degeyter’s ongoing series of engraved stones brings the archaic qualities of fossils and petroglyphs together with the psychology of childhood drawings. Starting with found stones, the surfaces are engraved with naïve drawings, drawn directly from the artist’s childhood. The images depict encounters with locales, animals and family creating a narrative of the artist’s formative moments. The works are often labelled with fake inventory numbers, creating an imaginary archive out of a personal history. As visual facsimiles of millennia-old artefacts, the works bring archaeological distance to childhood memories. In this way the works bring a visual and conceptual weight to otherwise innocent and cute drawings.

 

Also pivotal in Degeyter’s practice is his taxidermy work with sarcophagi. These works house once cherished pets and memorializes them. The animals are preserved to withstand organic decay. Kept in coffins that represent a cartoonized version of the animals, the work emphasizes the memorable characteristics of the respective animals over factual description. The works juxtapose contrasting visual qualities by encasing organic, morbid elements within an idealized, cute shell. By bringing lost rituals to the present day, these works question our sometimes unsymbolic funerary practices and cultural relationship to mortality.

 

Ultimately, by bringing anthropological references to present day visual culture, Degeyter creates a unique vocabulary that enables him to create a personal narrative while challenging canonical models of visual representation.

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