The Divider
2026 – Latest Traces of Transformation
What began as a simple division between left and right has evolved into an image of power and dependency. Robot Man has become entirely robotic and holds the Hanging Man above a small fire.
The Divider refers to technology and technological progress when they are pushed to extremes and become detached from ethical thought. The machine no longer serves humanity; instead, humanity is subjected to it.
Opposing forces continue to coexist within the work: robot and human, metal and flesh, control and vulnerability, above and below, life and ash. For now, the work rests in this state of tension.
Traces of Transformation
The canvas was created during Transformation Studio No. 1: Hot or Cold at CCDA Lommel. Initially, it consisted of the words “left” and “right,” which could be read in both directions.
Back in the studio, this simple division was gradually broken open. Green and red slowly shifted into colours suggestive of metal and flesh. The drawings Robot Man and Hanging Man were added, cut apart, partially burned and incorporated into the canvas. Fragments of paper were reduced to ash and reused as material.
As the process unfolded, Robot Man became increasingly machine-like, while the Hanging Man came to hang above a fire. The photographs show how a legible division gradually developed into an image of technological power, extremes and the erosion of ethical boundaries.
The original works — Robot Man and Hanging Man (1995)
The two older drawings formed the starting point for the figures in The Divider. Robot Man originally existed somewhere between human and machine. During the transformation, he lost his human features and became entirely robotic.
Hanging Man was placed opposite him as a vulnerable and dependent body. By bringing the two drawings together, a new power relationship emerged: the robot literally holds the human in its grip.
The signatures were also removed from the original drawings and transformed further. The signature from Robot Man became Benoemens-waardvlinder No. 1; the one from Hanging Man became Benoemens-waardvlinder No. 2.