The M-residency of Lola Daels

M has given Lola Daels a five-month residency spot at Cas-co. Daels (b. 1990, Jette) mainly creates sculptures and site-specific installations in which she questions the notion of authenticity. Her research currently focuses on obsolete faux finishing techniques, which she reinvents and tries to make sustainable.

M-resident Lola Daels — Photo: Rebecca Fertinel for M Leuven

Lola Daels (b. 1990, Jette) lives and works in Brussels. She gained her master’s degree in visual arts from the Luca School of Arts, Brussels, in 2014. Her work has previously been shown in group exhibitions at Bozar (BE), Extracity Kunsthal (BE), Art Sonje Center Seoul (KR) and Kunsthal Aarhus (DK), amongst others. Daels has also completed residencies at EKWC (NL), Cité Internationale des Arts (FR), AAIR Antwerp (BE) and Fondation CAB (BE).

What does authenticity mean in a globalised world in which everything is reproduced? This question lies at the heart of Lola Daels’ artistic practice. Her personal collection of souvenirs and found objects is the starting point. These objects have an ambiguous relationship to authenticity. Although the items pretend to be unique, they are often mass-produced. By reshaping these artefacts and integrating them within a different environment, Daels asks critical questions about their ecological and socio-political context and the human impact on today’s world.

Work by M-resident Lola Daels — Silvia Cappellari

Faux finishing techniques

During her research into authenticity, Lola Daels became fascinated by the traditional but now obsolete techniques used to imitate natural materials. The human impulse to emulate phenomena such as marble and grottos reflects the romantic desire to replicate nature. In reproduction, however, such marvels are often constructed from polluting products. A paradox that Daels explores further in her research. In collaboration with specialists, she investigates contemporary, alternative ways of continuing the craft while eliminating the polluting aspect of such techniques.

Daels’ practice is characterised by extensive research and experimentation. She will continue her research into authenticity and delve into two Italian faux finishing techniques during her M-residency: scagiola (faux marble) and pietra dura (hardstone inlay).

Lola Daels is far from unknown in Leuven. Together with architect Sebastiaan Willemen, with whom she forms an artist duo, she has been chosen to present a site-specific installation on the city’s Blauwputplein.