Joachim Lambrechts : American Superheroes

1 February - 2 March

Joachim Lambrechts
American Superheroes
Joachim Lambrechts

Joachim Lambrechts (b. 1986) is a renowned urban artist from Antwerp, Belgium. In 2001 he began his studies at an art school in Antwerp. Later he got very involved with the graffiti and street art scene in his home city and in 2004 he distanced himself from his academic education and left art school without graduating. In the years that followed, Joachim spent a lot of time experimenting with various approaches to graffiti and became quickly integrated into the Belgian street art scene. Since 2010, painting on canvas has been Joachim’s main focus in addition to creating street art across Europe. In contrast to his murals, Joachim never makes preliminary studies or sketches when he starts working on a canvas. Paradoxically, he feels freer within the four walls of his studio which is reflected in his paintings. They are the result of a more spontaneous process, and as such, possess a sense of urgency and innocence.
Solo exhibitions include (Upcoming) Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, USA (2024); No Regrets, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2023); Dark Days Need Bright Spells, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2022); From Bad Bats to Fat Cat, Galeria Fran Reus, Palma De Mallorca (2022); Siluetas, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2021); Allegro, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Berlin (2021); On the Spur of the Moment, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2020); 223 DAYS, Verbeeck Van Dyck Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (2019); Born to Paint, Graffitistreet, London, UK (2018); Till Death Do Us ‘Art’, Huberty & Breyne Gallery, Brussels, Belgium (2017); Write & Squeeze, Art Gallery, Knokke, Belgium (2017); Bipolar, Brato Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (2016); and Krank, Aim Space Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium (2016).

Group exhibitions include Coffee at Bedale Street, Cohle Gallery, Paris, France (2023); The Armory Show, Javits Centre, NYC, USA (2023); Drawing Room, Geukens & De Vils, Knokke, Belgium (2022-2023), Uprising, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Görne, Germany (2022); art Karlsruhe, Rheinstetten, Germany (2022); Duo show with Rune Christensen, Galerie Wolfsen, Denmark (2022); Drawing Room Lisboa, cur. Jan-Philipp Fruehsorge, Foco Berlin, Berlin, Germany (2021); In us we trust, Breach, Miami, USA (2021); Facing the Sun, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Schloss Görne, Berlin, Germany (2021); Enter Art Fair, Tunnel Factory, Nordhavn, Denmark (2020); This is Not a Zoo, Permanent & travelling exhibition, Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (2019); Street Masters 2, Art Gallery, Knokke, Belgium (2018); Under Bridge Group Show, Styleconception, Innsbruck, Austria (2018); Included in the year exhibition of 19Karen Gallery, 19Karen Gallery, Gold Coast, Australia (2017); Street Masters 1, Art Gallery, Knokke, Belgium (2017); MCA-DAY, MCA-Day, New York, America (2016); Urban Et Orbi, Perry Kish Fine Art Gallery, Heerlen, The Netherlands (2016); Underground Group Show 2, Graffitistreet, London, UK (2016); and Underground Group Show 1, Graffitistreet, London,UK (2015). Collaborations include Heverlee Beer, Glasgow, Scotland, (2018); MOA_Masters Of Arts, Milan, Italy (2017); Hotel Bloom, Brussels, Belgium, (2017), Balls&Glory, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, (2016).

Highlights and Collections

His work can be found in international private and public collections, including the Colección SOLO, Bunker Artspace Museum (US) and The House of KOKO, London.
American Superheroes

Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Misty Knight, Dick Tracy, the list goes on. In his latest series of paintings, Joachim Lambrechts brings to life some of the most iconic comic book characters from across the last century. Featuring walls of vividly coloured portraits, American Superheroes, Lambrechts’ solo exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, West Palm Beach, invites visitors to reconnect with childhood memories and the power of make-believe.

Growing up, Lambrechts found a joyful form of escapism in comic books and cartoons. He would make his own drawings of superheros and design his own full-length comics, imagining worlds where ‘literally anything was possible.’ This fantastical realm provided a welcome distraction from the difficulties he was experiencing at home and filled him with a sense of hope for the future – if he could create alternative realities with a few colouring pencils, perhaps anything really was possible. A few years ago, he found himself once again drawn to the world of superheroes and has now built up an impressive collection of action figures that he either owned or longed for in his youth.
In a sense, this latest series of works is a step back in time – a way of tapping into the boundless imagination of childhood, that expansive feeling of invincibility – while also reflecting on the contemporary moment and the need not just for escapism, but for real-life heroes. As Lambrechts puts it: ‘We need heroes who can stop bombs with their bare hands and bring innocent victims back to life with magical brain waves. We need heroes who can blow tsunamis back into the sea with the force of their lungs and stop earthquakes with energetic energy. We need heroes who can defeat evil people with evil intentions and banish them to the farthest reaches of the universe.’ These are fantastical dreams, of course, but desperate times call for creative solutions and perhaps, Lambrechts suggests, we should be looking less to the real world and more to works of art for inspiration.

As well as depicting universally recognisable characters, Lambrechts has also recreated some of the lesser-known figures of the superhero world such as Phantom, Plastic Man and Fantomah who were immensely popular in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, but are somewhat forgotten today. Each figure is painted in their original costume and rendered in Lambrechts’ signature graphic style that recalls the aesthetics of retro posters. As he points out, all of the characters are the creation of other artists, which have become embedded into and shaped by the collective imagination. In repurposing their imagery, he pays homage to this ongoing creative dialogue, encouraging us to tap into a childish sense of playfulness and to find new meaning.

As Lambrechts says, ‘Behind every superhero is an ordinary man or woman; often the only difference is that they have the courage to do things that everyone else thinks is impossible. No matter how hopeless a situation sometimes seems, they keep fighting and refuse to give up. That, if you ask me, is the real superpower.’
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Joachim Lambrechts : American Superheroes

Joachim Lambrechts

Joachim Lambrechts

American Superheroes

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