Magali Reus

Magali Reus (1981, The Hague) lives and works in London. She creates sculptures that transform seemingly everyday objects. By disconnecting them from their original function, layered and complex assemblages of images and materials emerge. Instead of using readymades, Reus combines advanced technologies with traditional craftsmanship to create works that playfully reinterpret familiar elements from reality.

Her sculptures refer to diverse contexts—art historical, aesthetic, social, geographical, and political—but always remain sensitive to the seductive qualities of surface and texture. Reus herself calls her works “unreal things,” emphasizing their imaginative and unexpected character.

Originating from Scheveningen, near the North Sea, Reus draws inspiration for this exhibition from the coastal landscape of her youth—a landscape that also forms the backdrop of our museum. Especially for this exhibition, she realized a new series of sculptures, firmly anchored in this environment. Highlights include wall sculptures inspired by antique fishing lures and earring accessories, intended to entice and capture the viewer both literally and figuratively.

In addition, important works from Reus' acclaimed Merlin series are on display, which are based in form on enlarged fish cans, on loan from prominent Dutch and Belgian collections. Together, they form an engaging dialogue between her earlier and recent explorations.

Conceptually rooted in the exploration of silhouettes and visual contours, the works investigate themes such as attraction and deception—seducing to lure, deceive, or intrigue. They are complemented by site-specific installations and architectural interventions, specially designed by Reus and inspired by the museum's location. This connection with the place is intended to evoke a sense of recognition and invite the visitor into a layered dialogue between the works, the location, and their shared references.

Curator: Louise Bjeldbak Henriksen

Thumbnail image - Magali Reus, Merlin (Wish You Were), 2024. Laser cut, rolled, forged, welded and powder coated steel, laser cut, welded and sand blasted and phosphated aluminium, laser cut, forged, sand blasted and phosphated aluminium, mirror-polished aluminium, laser cut, powder coated and airbrushed aluminium sheet, hand woven wicker, button screws. 76 x 50.5 x 21 cm. (AP-REUSM-00470)

Image: Magali Reus, Merlin (Rock and Sole), 2024. Laser cut, rolled, forged, welded and powder coated steel, laser cut, welded and sand blasted and phosphated aluminium, laser cut, forged, sand blasted and phosphated aluminium, polished aluminium, laser cut, rolled, powder coated and airbrushed aluminium sheet, welded, sandblasted and phosphated steel rod, 3D printed Nylon SLS, button screws, 40 x 70 x 24 cm. (AP-REUSM-00483)



Images: Eva Herzog. Courtesy the artist; The Approach Gallery, London; Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, NYC, USA; Galerie Greta Meert, Brussels; Galerie Mai36, Zurich.