Frederik Vaes
Exploring the connected universe
My work is a visual dialogue with the complexity of control. As humans, we try to create order in the chaos of our existence: we plan, structure, and try to gain control. Yet, there is a tension inherent in this endeavor. Reality is fluid, unpredictable, and never fully controllable.
I explore the fragile balance between order and chaos, between control and surrender. Where control seems to offer safety, surrender holds the possibility of unexpected beauty. By allowing space for the uncontrollable, a field of tension arises in which new connections and rhythms become visible.
This dynamic is inseparable from nature. Just as seasons, growth, and decay cannot be controlled, we humans also move within that same flow. My work stems from the realization that humans are not masters of nature, but are inextricably linked to it: a fragile, temporary element in a much larger, living whole.
The idea of the chaosmoss, as James Joyce termed it and later developed by Deleuze and Guattari, is a key inspiration in this. Chaos and cosmos are not opposites, but intrinsically intertwined. Chaos is the source of infinite possibilities; cosmos the temporary pattern that emerges from it. My work moves in that space between — where order and disorder combine to form a universe that is constantly reborn.
Order and chaos are not enemies, but complementary forces.
“Panta Rhei” – everything flows
2018
- Helixagon – land art project – Linter
- Groupexpo Kunst in de stad – Roeselaere
- Sculpture Ineos – Antwerpen
- Memorial WO I – Glabbeek
- Groupexpo Kunsthuis Apart – Gullegem
2019
- Groupexpo Depression unveiled – Antwerpen
- Groupexpo Kunst in de kerk – Glabbeek
- Expo pop-up-café – Tienen
- Groupexpo Knoflook – Kortrijk
2020
- Biënnale Klein Sculptuur – Belfort Brugge
- Groupexpo Oooh – Z33 Hasselt
2022
- Groupexpo – Hoegaarden
- Kunst in het kasteel – Glabbeek
2023
- Groupexpo – Hoegaarden
- Chaos and Harmony – The Gallery Genk
- Samen-Leven – ZLDR Luchtfabriek Heusden-Zolder
2024
- Groupexpo – Glabbeek
2025
- Groupexpo – Barcelona (Spain)
- Groupexpo – Hoegaarden
Artwork Frederik Vaes 