The Architecture of the Image

Born in Brussels, Belgium, in 1965, Marcel Berlanger began his engagement with the canvas through the intimate guidance of his grandfather, Walter Hassewer. This early immersion in the mechanics of painting provided a foundation for his later, more complex investigations into how we perceive reality. His formal education took him through Saint-Luc and the Ecole de Recherches Graphiques (ERG) in Brussels, where he studied under figures such as Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Marthe Wéry, Pierre Carlier, and Marc Vanhove. These years were spent refining a sensibility that would eventually refuse to settle for simple representation, moving instead toward a deep inquiry into the very nature of the pictorial space.

His practice is defined by a restless movement between the boundaries of painting, figuration, and installation. He does not merely depict a subject; he interrogates the process by which a subject becomes an image. By utilizing techniques such as the grid—splitting a visual field into discrete squares—he deconstructs the familiar to reveal its structural origins. His work often draws from a specific, almost encyclopedic register of motifs, including plants, landscapes, and portraits, which he reproduces with a precision that questions the distinction between a photograph and a painting.

Spatial and Light-Based Explorations

As his career progressed, Berlanger’s interests expanded beyond the flat surface of the canvas. A significant collaboration with his sister, Françoise Berlanger, in the realms of theatre and performance pushed his work into the three-dimensional. This evolution led him to explore scenography and the way light functions as a primary agent of perception. He treats light not as a tool for illumination, but as a substance that vibrates and pulsates, allowing the image to emerge through its own internal rhythms.

His technical repertoire is diverse and physically demanding, involving:

• The use of polyester fiberglass frameworks to create structural depth.
• Methods of bomb-painting, cutting, and piercing the medium.
• The creation of immense, large-scale canvases that transform the viewer's environment.
• The integration of light-based installations that challenge the stability of the image.

Institutional Presence and Recognition

The reach of Berlanger’s work has extended from the galleries of Brussels and Luxembourg to significant international stages. His presence in the art world is marked by exhibitions at prestigious venues such as WIELS, the van Bommel van Dam Museum, and S.M.A.K. He has also been featured at the Venice Biennale and the Academia Belgica in Rome. These exhibitions have often focused on the tension between the document and the painted object, questioning how much of an image is a reflection of the world and how much is a construction of the artist's hand.

His contributions are held in several important public collections, including those of the Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles and the Collection Foreign Affairs in Belgium. Through his teaching at ERG, where he directs the Master’s program Pratique de l’art, he continues to influence the discourse surrounding the intersection of art, context, and critical tools. His work remains a persistent investigation into the ways in which we see, and the ways in which we are seen by the images we create.