Hauser & Wirth Somerset is proud to present its first solo exhibition by Berlinde De Bruyckere. Occupying the Rhoades and Bourgeois galleries, De Bruyckere has chosen to present two new bodies of sculptural works, selected in direct relation to the spaces they are exhibited in. The pieces presented in ‘Stages & Tales’ are a new artistic direction for De Bruyckere, moving away from the figurative work she is best known for (a shift that began in 2014 with the series Penthesilea) – these new bodies of work are the artist’s most abstract pieces to date.

Hanging from the walls of the Rhoades Gallery are seven new works composed of heavily weathered, semi-decomposed blankets built up in layers, that comprise the series Courtyard Tales (2017 – 2018). Since the early 1990s, many of De Bruyckere’s major works have featured structures involving blankets, suggesting warmth and protection, but also the vulnerable experiences that lead one to seek such shelter. In these tactile works the blankets hang, ragged and often in tatters, evoking shrouds. Peculiar bulges hint at something concealed within or behind the blankets, allowing the works to sit proud from the walls. The composition of layered colours in a warm and muted palette with the occasional splash of an untouched brighter tone, evokes images of a painterly nature.