Jan Fabre

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Jan Fabre (born 1958, Antwerp, Belgium) is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist, playwright, stage director, choreographer and designer.

He studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Between 1976 and 1980 he wrote his first scripts for the theatre and made his debut performances.

From 1980 he began his career as a stage director and stage designer:

Theater geschreven met een K is een kater (1980), (This is the theatre one should have awaited and expected) (1982),
The power of theatrical frenzy (Biënnale Venice 1984),
Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas (1987),
Prometheus Landschaft’ (1988),
Das Interview das stirbt... (1989),
Der Palast um vier Uhr morgens..., A.G. (1989),
Die Reinkarnation Gottes (1989),
Das Glas im Kopf wird vom Glas (1990),
The Sound of one hand clapping (1990),
Sweet Temptations (1991),
She was and she is, even (1991),
Wie spreekt mijn gedachte ... (1992),
Silent Screams, Difficult Dreams(1992),
Vervalsing zoals ze is, onvervalst (1992),
Da un’altra faccia del tempo (1993),
Quando la terra si rimette in movimento (1995),
Three Dance-solos (1995),
A dead normal woman(1995),
Universal Copyrights 1 & 9 (1995),
De keizer van het verlies (1996),
The very seat of honour (1997),
Body, Body on the wall (1997),
Glowing Icons (1997),
The Pick-wick-man (1997),
Ik ben jaloers op elke zee…(1997),
The fin comes a little bit earlier this siècle (But business as usual)(1998),
Het nut van de nacht (1999),
As long as the world needs a warrior’s soul (2000),
My movements are alone like streetdogs (2000),
Je suis Sang (conte de fées médiéval) (2001),
Het zwanenmeer (2002),
Parrots & guinea pigs (2002),
Je suis sang(2003),
Angel of death (2003),
Elle était et elle est, meme (2004),
Etant donnés (2004),
Quando L'Uomo principale è una donna (2004).

Fabre is famous for his Bic-art (ballpoint drawings). In 1990, he covered an entire building with ballpoint drawings.

He explores the relationships between drawing and sculpture. He also makes sculptures in bronze (among them The man who measures the clouds and Searching for Utopia) and with beetles.

His decoration of the ceiling of the Royal Palace in Brussels Heaven of Delight is widely praised. In 2004 he erected Totem in Leuven.