ARCHIVE TAPIACO (untill 2023)

This fascination leads to objects such as the experiment with a liquid, poured on a plastic foil, stretched firmly on a square construction, pressing down the foil because of the gravity and trying to fill up the recipient to the corners, finally not succeeding and becoming a 'Rounded Square'. Or furthermore, by way of paying hommage to Marcel Duchamp, he refers to his ready-made 'Fresh Window' through a window-frame , divided into 8 window-panes , to freeze and to unfreeze by means of a ventilator. This process leads to the known result because only the central part of the windows will unfreeze or evaporate while the corners remain untouched. 

For the artistic project Artival in Ostend (2000) Tapiaco created a construction of one cubic metre in which a picture of 'Ostende Roads' on a transparant film pressed between two sheets of glass was shown. Below that, a plastic transparant foil in which yellow-coloured water was poured, with the former described result, was hanged up. At the bottom, within the construction, a halogen lamp of which the beam of light was directed upwards, was placed. Because of the high temperature of the halogen lamp the water evaporated in the recipient and condensed against the bottom of the glass sandwich panel resulting in heavy drops which became one again with the water surface. The title 'Ostend between rain and sunshine' was actually rather obvious.

In 2001 he focuses his attention on the 1st year of the 21st century, also a modest reference to Stanley Kubrick's '2001 a space odyssey'. As from January 1st until December 31st, he conceives every day a small work referring to this particular day without emphasizing topical matters of the passed twenty-four hours and limited to a simple reference to the moment by tearing off a date of some print on which the author puts his signature in the known shape, actually confirming the irrevocability of what happened that day to which the spectator in the end can add the contents himself.

For a new police office in Antwerp, he presented a project to etch fingerprints of criminals, combined with those of dignitaries, in glass in order to put them in floors, on walls and/or to hang them up in space. It goes without saying that these fingerprints express the author's language of shapes as well. Years before he made his own thumb-print in blue, red and yellow referring to the C.I.A., K.G.B. and Opus Dei.

A new theme related to previous realizations is the creation of collages based on old documents or printed matters of all kinds provided with the shape in question by way of 'reinforcement'. (to be continued)

During a trip to Turkey, more specifically to the area of Cappadocië, he was confronted with natural shapes in the specific landscape there which remind of the Rounded Square, but also with caves, aboveground and underground, made by humans, which take a similar shape.

Both confrontations not only emphasize his reference to its universal character in nature but also to the shape as a result of human activity.

They appeared to be an abundantly clear and visually grateful fact which motivated the artist to bring about a new series of creations, completing the image, on a digitally printed background , with an extra pictural aspect.

A confrontation with previous realizations from the beginning period and this recent series reveals the analogy with the specific shape, on the one hand originated from pure creative power and on the other hand a reflection of the mentioned existing structures , partly as a result of geological forces, partly as a consequence of human activity going back to the Paleolithical Era and the following cultures.
For that reason, the suitable title 'Back to the future' was given to this series.

Under the title 'TARGETS & TIES', he realizes the first artworks of a new series referring at the so-called populism, a term which is being used in and out of season for quite some time by the media, the politicians, the financial world and diverse authorities.
With fictitious heads provided with a real tie and a transparant target TAPIACO aims almost in the literal and figurative sense at individuals and institutions restricting and/or ruining other people's lifes by carrying out the duties of their office or by their position in society.
These are metaphors for abuse of power and disapproving behavior towards subordinates and the weak members in society. However, TAPIACO does not aim only at the establishment but also at daily life figures who, despite the environment involved, influence and complicate all one's actions in a negative way.

In a critical but ludic way, TAPIACO takes advantage of the recent and contemporary international socio-political and financial climate in which democratic achievements seem to be more and more under pressure.

As he has already proved before, once again TAPIACO gives evidence of social criticism without denying his language of shapes.