Veerle De Smet

THE FALLEN ANGEL

The Fallen Angel symbolizes a lack of self-love. We want too much to be the concept of the other. Because of this, we lose connection with ourselves. We relate not with the heart, but with our ego. Consequently, our energy does not flow freely, because it originates in fear rather than in boundless giving.

In Shamanism, you can retrieve soul parts—which you lost partly due to trauma—through trance journeys, known as soul retrieval. The personal loss of loved ones threw the artist off balance. She went on research in various places to restore this equilibrium. To do so, she made a journey into the subconscious and returned with parts she believed to be lost, so that her life energy could flow again. The artist was able to take steps once more into her life, which was fully potential. The artwork The Fallen Angel is a collection of her rediscovered answers.

What do we see? A tree trunk with a hollow and two legs. The horse skull functions as wings. A red glass heart adorns it. Read: a mixture of a human and a horse heart. The sound enhances the image. A total installation as a total experience.

The concept was executed by artists who, with their skills, were able to give shape to De Smet’s ideas. For the red glass heart, the artist drew upon the craftsmanship of Frederik Rombach and Roel Stels. Audio was composed by Sophie Colzolaio.

For her work and life, Veerle De Smet visited various shamans. She trained with Simone Weber, Griet Heylen, and Roel Crabbe.

Hilde Van Canneyt, Belgian coordinator Sculpture Network