Liminalism - Silas Hollenbeq

DISCOVER HOLLENBEQ

Hollenbeq AND Liminalism: A Manifesto for the Art of Transition

It is the moment when everything seems possible. A work of art that deliberately remains unfinished - completed, but not yet finished. Hollenbeq calls this state liminality - the threshold between possibility and realization. With his concept of liminality, he challenges not only the art world, but also the way we think about the relationship between work, viewer and originality in the 21st century.

Liminality describes transitions, liminalism creates them - a neologism for art on the threshold

Hollenbeq is one of those artists who do not focus on the finished work, but on the process that surrounds it. According to his model of conceptual incubation a work of art initially exists in the conceptual preview phase - a deliberately unfinished state in which the work awaits a conscious action on the part of the viewer. This action, which Hollenbeq describes as a moment of incubation, is not accidental. It is the conscious act of viewing, reflecting or even buying that releases the work from its suspended state and turns it into a tangible reality. For Hollenbeq, a work of art is not created by the artist alone. It is only created when the viewer decides that it exists. A bold idea that radically redefines not only the work, but also the role of the audience.

Between quantum physics and art history

Hollenbeq underpins his theory with an unusual metaphor: quantum physics. As in the double-slit experiment, in which a particle only "collapses" through observation, for Hollenbeq the work of art only becomes real through the viewer's decision. It is a concept that brings together the relationship between art and science in a kind of poetic equation: Art as a dynamic potential that only materializes through action. However, Hollenbeq's approach is not only scientifically inspired, but also anchored in art history. To a certain extent, he follows in the tradition of Marcel Duchamp, who questioned the autonomy of the artwork with his ready-mades. But Hollenbeq goes one step further: while Duchamp focused on the artist's choice, Hollenbeq shifts the responsibility to the viewer.

"Liminality describes transitions, liminalism creates them - a neologism for art on the threshold."

Silas Hollenbeq

Although cats are involved, liminalism is brainfuck - maybe! | © The Hollenbeq Gateway

A response to the challenges of the digital age

The relevance of liminalism is particularly evident in the present day. In a world characterized by digital reproducibility, NFT hype and the dematerialization of art, Hollenbeq poses the question of authenticity anew. For him, the original does not lie in the material uniqueness of a work, but in the conscious decision that underlies it.

With this stance, Hollenbeq clearly distances himself from movements such as Relational Aesthetics, which focuses on social relationships, or Constructivism, which anchors the meaning of a work in its cultural context. Liminalism is radically individualistic: it calls on the individual to take responsibility for art, not through interpretation but through action.

Hollenbeq's theory is also a confrontation with the art market. In his model, the purchase of a work is not a purely economic act, but a creative decision. This provocation harbors a subtle criticism: is the art market really only a space for trade, or can it become a place of transformation? For Hollenbeq, the transaction is not the conclusion of a process, but its culmination. Only at the moment of purchase does the work become complete.

This attitude has its ambivalences. Critics could accuse Hollenbeq of idealizing the art market or even romanticizing its mechanisms. But it is precisely this tension that makes liminalism so fascinating: it operates at the interface of philosophy, art and economics and challenges all those involved to rethink their role.

The art of transition

Hollenbeq's liminalism is not a simple concept of art. It is uncomfortable, demands confrontation and refuses to be pigeonholed into traditional categories. Yet its strength lies precisely in this restlessness. In a time characterized by uncertainties and transitions, Liminalism offers a perspective that not only accepts this dynamic, but makes it the focal point. For Hollenbeq, art is not a self-contained work, but a space of encounter and transformation. It is this moment of transition - from potential to reality, from idea to decision - that makes Liminalism one of the most exciting positions in contemporary art.

Hollenbeq and Liminalism: a radical understanding of art

Hollenbeq's liminalism poses fundamental questions to the art world: What constitutes art? Where does its authenticity lie in a world of reproducibility? And what role do we, the audience, play in this process?
By focusing on the transition and the decision, Hollenbeq not only shifts the boundaries of art, but also the expectations of the viewer. Liminalism is a concept that not only challenges the art scene, but also reflects our times: an era in which the threshold between possibility and reality is becoming ever narrower - and yet remains full of potential.