© Alain Six

°1980, Brussels

Renato Nicolodi, studied at Sint-Lukas Brussels and later at the Higher Institute for Fine Arts in Ghent (HISK). With his work, he seeks to evoke a universal sacrality. His sculptures and paintings imagine spaces with corridors and stairs leading to closed-off passage-ways. Light and shade draw the gaze of the spectator to the inside of the construction, which remains invisible. The core of the work seems to conserve some sort of emptiness.

The artist refers to archetypical buildings from past times and cultures, stripping them from their original function, ornament and dogma. He creates monuments, relics, shrines that conserve both the memory and the thought of the maker as well as those of the spectator.

Nicolodi’s sculptures and paintings form mental beacons for people who live in an age where society has gone in overdrive; in a time where everything is questioned: science, technology, nature, culture and the position of man within all of this. The works are visual anchors that invite the spectator to meditate and reflect. They form the physical and mental acces points trough which the spectator can meander through his or her own mental space.

Artist statement

In my work, I explore the intricate interplay between monumental architecture and the deeper layers of human existence. My creations serve as metaphors for the age-old human quest for meaning, power, and eternity. By portraying these symbolic architectural forms, I seek to establish a profound dialogue between the viewer and the unseen forces that shape our society.

The artworks I create are inspired by historical architectural forms that once symbolized omnipotence and stability. At the same time, they express the inevitable transience of such structures. This contradiction is a fundamental aspect of my work, reflecting the delicate balance between human ambition and the whims of time. In an era where the world faces rapid shifts in political and social structures, these forms serve as a reminder of the temporary nature of power and control.

My work speaks directly to the current state of our society, where climate change, political unrest, and social fragmentation highlight the necessity of reconsidering our foundations. The monumental forms raise questions about the sustainability and effectiveness of human-made structures, inviting the viewer to reflect on which values and principles truly endure over time and which are mere fleeting illusions.

While my work does not shy away from the harsh reality of decay and transition, it is ultimately intended to offer a sense of hope and possibility. By confronting our flaws and ephemeral successes, we are invited to consider entirely new ways of thinking and building. My sculptures act as catalysts for reflection and change, encouraging the conscious creation of structures—both physical and ideological—that resonate with sustainability, ethics, and respect for our planet.

My intention is for my work to serve as both a mirror and a window: a mirror for introspection and understanding of our current state, and a window into a future where we consciously and collectively strive for a harmonious balance between humanity and nature.

Solo Exhibitions

2024
Tempus et Spatium I,
Matthew Liu Fine Art Gallery, Shanghai, CN
Concealment and Disclosure, Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Hong Kong

2022
Clair/Obscur,
Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Wijnegem, BE

2019
Proximi Mei Meum Fundamentum
, Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Wijnegem

2018
Ibant Obscuri,
Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Hong Kong
Terra Incognita, Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL

2017
Architect@work,
Barcelona, ES

2016
Architect@work,
Rome, IT
Omnium Memoria II, Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Antwerp, BE
World Without Us, scenography for theatre company “Ontroerend Goed”
Genius Loci, Ieper, BE
EI Huis, Experimental Intermedia House Window Gallery, Ghent, BE
To Be Sung, scenography for opera, Flagey, Brussels, BE

2015
Horror Vacui,
with Filip Vervaet, 38cc, Delft, NL
Architect@work,Vienna, AU
Architect@work, Copenhagen, DK
Monumentum, Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp, BE
Architect@work, Londen, UK

2014
Architect@work,
Stuttgart, D
Omnium Memoria, Park ter Beuken, Lokeren, BE
Architect@work, Rotterdam, NL
Underneath, with Renie Spoelstra, Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
“C” in art, with Cindy Wright, Maurus Moreelshuis, Mechelen, BE
De leegte van de schaduw, Hasselt, BE
Architect@work, Zürich, CH
Umwelt II, Dommelhof, Neerpelt, BE
Umwelt, CC Westrand, Dilbeek, BE

2013
YIA
(Young International Artists), Paris, FR
Hortus conclusus sorror mea, sponsa, hortus conclusus fons signatus, Hotel Mariakapel, Hoorn, NL

2012
Fragments of Melancholy
, Galerie Van De Weghe, Antwerp, BE
Madame Grès - Sculptural fashion, MOMU, Antwerp, BE
Salon blanc VII, Oostende, BE

2011
Libido Moriendi,
Highlight Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Bound by history, with Martin Effert, Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL

2010
Bound by history,
with Martin Effert, Pictura, Dordrecht, NL

2009
SECONDroom
, Brussels, BE
The solo project, Ron Mandos Gallery, Basel, CH
architect@work, Kortrijk, BE
Observing Darkness, Galeria AT, Poznan, PL

2008
Beelden in de stad #5
, CIAP, Hasselt, BE
Beyond Mass, Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam NL

2007
Doe stil voort
, MuFDB Drogenbos, Brussels, BE
Art Brussels, Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels, BE
Pass Through with Robin Vermeersch, Galerie Kunst-Zicht, Ghent, BE

2005
Belgium’s Calling
, Lineart met Gallery Annie Gentils, Ghent, BE
(IM)mobile with Panamarenko, Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam, NL
Hommage, Gallery Annie Gentils, Antwerp, BE
1000 euro, with Koen Moerenhout, STUK Leuven, Leuven, BE

Group Exhibitions

2025
Art Brussels 2025, Brussels Expo, Hall 5, Belgiëplein 1, Brussels, BE
Sketching for the basilica, Museum of Modern Religious Art, National Basilica, Brussels, BE

2024
This is my church, Tourinnes-La-Grosse, BE
Westbund Art & Design Fair, Shanghai, CN
STAWACAFA, Liberale Kring, Ninove, BE
Il sole ambulare, The Merode, Brussels, BE
Passio 2024 - Il Cammino (biennale), Sint-Maartenskerk, Kortrijk, BE
Bridge, Axel Vervoordt Foundation, Wijnegem, BE

2023
Just like Escher,
Museum Escher in The Palace, Den Haag, NL
Between Emptiness and Form: Exploring Emotion and Essence’, Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Hong KongSint-Denijs-City (biënnale), Sint-Denijs, BE
GIST Shifting Sceneries (triënnale), Dorgenbos, BE
Chosen, zebrastraat, Ghent, BE
30 jaar de mijlpaal ‘dromen denken doen’, galerie de mijlpaal, Heusden Zolder, BE
Taipei Dangdai, Taipei, Taiwan
The World beyond the House, Lucien de Gheus museum, Poperinge, BE
IVY, art trail, Horebeke, BE
En regard, Delta, Namur, BE
Night is the Shadow of the Earth, Wind H Art Center, Beijing, CN
Art SG, Singapore
Art Brussels, Brussels, BE

2022
Monument,
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Antwerp, BE
Inaugurational Exhibition, Het Leienpaleis, Antwerp, BE
Melancholy, Poetry of the mind, Adornes domein, Bruges, BE
West Bund Art, Shanghai, CN
Liturgie Colorée, Axel Vervoordt Foundation, Wijnegem, BE

2021
Arché, Architecture of Universe,
Pavilion 0/3, GAD Giudecca Art District, Venice, IT
Colors, etc., Tripostal, Lille, FR
Correspondances. Nick Ervinck, Sofie Muller, Renato Nicolodi, Musée Fenaille, Rodez, FR
Hansan, W.ONE Space, Shenzhen, China
Krasj, Ninove, BE
Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul, South Korea
Espace museal – Espèces d’espaces, le Delta, Namur, BE
Fiat Lux, Pilar, Brussels, BE
West Bund Art, Shanghai, CN

2020
Menage a deux,
Stadsmus, Hasselt, BE
Kleureyck: Van Eyck's Colours in Design, Design Museum, Ghent, BE
Changez ! Art Brussels in Amsterdam, Ron Mandos Gallery, Amsterdam, NL
Artivirals, Maaltebruggekasteel, Ghent, BE

2019
West Bund art & design
, Shanghai, CN
Lichtzwart, diepwit, Gevaertsdreef, Oudenaarde, BE
Bang Bang, Tick Tack, Antwerp, BE
Une collection d’art contemporain, Musée des beaux-Arts, Carcassonne, FR
Genesis – une collection en mouvement, Lieu d’Art Contemporain, Sigean, FR
Art brussels, Galerie Ron Mandos & Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Brussels, BE
De Gulf Between, cultuurhuis de Warande, Turnhout, BE

2018
First Decade,
38CC, Delft, NL
Don’t mention the war, kunstenhuis, Harelbeke, BE
Emines-18, Fort d’Emines, Emines, BE
Art Autun #2018, “ce qui pèse et ce qui nourrit”, Hôpital Saint-Gabriel in collaboration with Musée Rolin – Musée Lapidaire Saint-Nicolas, Autun, FR
‘Liquid City’ Triënnale Brugge 2018, Bruges, BE
Art Brussels with Galerie Ron Mandos, Brussels, BE
Het Gouden Paviljoen, cultuurhuis de Warande, Turnhout, BE
20 years NICC, NICC, Antwerp, BE

2017
Art Düsseldorf 2017,
Düsseldorf, D
El Camino – The Way Between Two Points -, KULAK, Kortrijk, BE
Celibataire Divas, kunstgalerij de Mijlpaal, Herkenrode Refuge, Hasselt, BE
Fear in a Handful of Dust, Marion Decannière, Antwerp, BE
Bastion 10 Kunstenproject, Menen, BE
El Camino – The Way Between Two Points -, KADOC, Leuven, BE

2016
Monumenten voor de dood,
Koksijde, BE
Frieze Sculpture Park, Londen, GB
Vreemde Oorden, Leuven, BE
El Camino – The Way Between Two Points -, Lieu d’Art Contemporain, Sigean, FR
In Situ 2016 – Patrimoine et art contemporain, Abbaye de Gellone, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, FR
Meninroad-Ypernstrasse, Geluveld, BE
El Camino – The Way Between Two Points -, Provinciaal Hof, Bruges, BE
Art Brussels with Axel Vervoordt Gallery, Brussels, BE
In Love with Beauty, Transfo Zwevegem, BE
Dystotal, Ludwig Forum Museum, Aachen, D
Kunstpark Soestdijk 2016, Paleis Soestdijk, Baarn, NL

2015
So Let’s Retread Memory Lane,
Villa de Olmen, Wieze, BE
Kunst@Rodekruis, Klooster Sancta Maria, Ronse, BE
#inofoffice, Galerie De Mijlpaal, Heusden Zolder, BE
A touch of Steel, RECIPROCITY Design Liège, BE
#outofoffice, zeedijk 816, Knokke, BE
A touch of Steel, Design Vlaanderen Galerie, Brussels, BE
Vormidable – Hedendaagse Vlaamse Beeldhouwkunst, museum Beelden aan Zee, Den Haag, NL
Proportio, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, IT
R.I.P. – 200 jaar begrafeniscultuur in Vlaanderen, Caermersklooster, Ghent, BE
ART-Traces Across the Western front, Poelkapelle, BE
Bunker Archeologie, Broelmuseum, Kortrijk, BE
Art Rotterdam with Galerie Van De Weghe, Rotterdam, NL
No Walls, Fenix Loods, Rotterdam, NL

2014
Grisaille,
CC De Muse, Heusden-Zolder, BE
Citadel’arte, citadel, Diest, BE
The divided body, Predikherenkerk, Leuven, BE
Private Shelter, Provinciedomein Raversyde, Oostende, BE
A touch of Steel, Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, D
Sans[]veria ‘breuklijn’, B-Mine, Beringen, BE
(ge)tijden[loos], zeedijk 716, Knokke, BE
Bloed, Landcommanderij Alden Biesen, Bilzen, BE
Anthropocosmos –vue déplacées, Maison de la culture de Namur, Namur, BE
A Touch of Steel, Klingenmuseum, Solingen, D
Grote prijs Ernest Albert 2014 (honorable mention) Scultpure Prize of the City of Mechelen, De Garage, Mechelen, BE
Surveying, Brussels, BE
Art Brussels, Ron Mandos and Van De Weghe, Brussels, BE
Midi et demi, Centre d’Art Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, CH

2013
Beeldhouwerstekeningen uit de collectie Tahon,
Museum Beelden aan Zee, Den Haag, NL
Wonen in Utopia, LUMC Leiden, NL
Pop-up Mijlpaal, Knokke, BE
Pop-up Filiptackdesignoffice, Knokke BE
Pavilion 0, Venice Biennale, Palazzo Dona, Campo San Polo, Venice, IT
Eduardo Chilida, Renato Nicolodi, Remco Roes, Camiel Van Breedam, Galerie De Mijlpaal, Heusden Zolder, BE
La joie de se perdre, Villa de Olmen and D’Apostrof, Wieze and Meigem, BE
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more , lokaal 01, Breda, NL
Art Rotterdam, Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam, NL
NWBLK fair with Highlight Gallery, San Francisco, USA

2012
Strange Lands
, Cindy Rucker Gallery, New York, USA
Façade 2012, Middelburg NL
Kanal – ondernemen is een kunst, Wielsbeke, BE
POP-UP artistic links, Museum of Elsene, Brussels, BE
artMRKT San Francisco, Highlight Gallery, San Francisco, USA
Total Area, Galeria AT, Poznan, PL
Art Brussels, with Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels, BE
Hermetic City, Garage Rotterdam, Rotterdam, NL
Art Los Angeles Contemporary, with Highlight gallery, Santa Monica, USA

2011
Tender Buttons,
resto Overpoort, Ghent, BE
Jonge Vlaamse Meesters, Hermitage, Amsterdam, NL
Le Siège de la Mémoire, Hopstreet, Brussels, BE
Utopie//Vervreemding, Sint-Lukas galerie, Brussels, BE
BYTS (Bosch Young Talent show), Stedelijk Museum ‘s-Hertogenbosch, NL
Kunstenfestival Watou 2011, 'tussen taal en beeld - verzamelde verhalen #3', Watou, BE
VOLTA 7, met Ron Mandos Gallery, Basel, CH
TRA. Edge of Becoming, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, IT
Grafiek Ontrafeld, 25ste grafiekbiënnale, Sint-Niklaas, BE

2010
The power of drawing,
Geukens & De Vil, Antwerp, BE
Doe stil voort overzicht, FelixArtMuseum, Drogenbos, BE
Camera Obscura, De Mijlpaal, Heusden-Zolder, BE
Between the sacred and the profane, CIAP, Hasselt, BE
Rappel M/N/O, Maaseik, Opoeteren & Neeroeteren, BE
Internet charity auction, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, BE
Art Amsterdam, with Ron Mandos Gallery, RAI, Amsterdam, NL
Art Brussels, with Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels, BE
Art in the city, Egmond Park, Brussels, BE

2009
In-Finitum
, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, IT
Regenerated, de Warande, Turnhout, BE
Art Brussels with Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels, BE

2008
ART-ITECTURE
, Maagdendalekapel, Oudenaarde, BE
ACADEMIA “Qui es-tu? “, La Chapelle de l’Ecole Nationale Supérieur des Beaux-Arts, Paris, FR
Lustwarande ’08 - Wanderland, Park de Oude Warande, Tilburg, NL
ARTchitectuur, MONUMENTAL vzw, Bornem, BE
Art Brussels with Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels, BE

2007
Just a Four-Letter Word
, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, BE
Lineart (Fortis Young Ones Award), Flanders Expo Ghent, BE
Art Forum with Ron Mandos Gallery, Berlijn, D
Kunst & Wunderkammern, Cultuurcentrum Knokke-Heist, BE
Gasthoven 07 / Zonevreemd, CC Het Gasthuis Aarschot, BE
Silent Revolutions, Kruidtuin - Tweebronnen, Leuven, BE
25:01 PAULO POST FUTURUM (25 jaar Lokaal 01), Breda’s Museum, Breda, NL
Full House, Huis van Winckel, Dendermonde, BE
Open Studios, HISK, Ghent, BE
Plankton::Bar, Bains Connective, Brussels, BE
Art Rotterdam with Ron Mandos Gallery, Rotterdam, NL

2006
Fiac
with Ron Mandos Gallery, Cour Carrée Louvre , Paris, FR
Déjeuner sur l’herbe, Vlaamse Ardennen (Brakel), BE
Leere X Vision – ConneXions, Herforder Radewig, Herford, D
Che fare?, Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten (HISK), Antwerp, BE
Art Brussels with Ron Mandos Gallery, Brussels, BE
Holswege, Lokaal 01, Breda, NL
Persévérance [Meetkunst] Sint-Laureins, BE
Gala of the year 2006, Gallery Ron Mandos, Rotterdam, NL

2005
Art Cologne
with Gallery Annie Gentils, Köln, D
Artuatuca Kunsterfgoed Festival ‘Intra Muros’, Tongeren, BE
Places I’ve been, Consortium, Amsterdam, NL

2004
De vierkantswortel van het geheugen
, Huis Van Winckel, Dendermonde, BE
aMUSÉE-vous, Het Huis van Alijn & de Vlaamse Museumvereniging, Ghent, BE

2003
La nouvelle saison est arrivée
, Sint-Lukas galerie, Brussels, BE
Vivier – 19 graduating artists exhibit, TURN & TAXIS, Brussels, BE

2002
Redoux
, Matrix Art Project, Brussels, BE
Spervuur, STUK Leuven & Baljuwhuis, Galmaarden, BE

Outdoor Sculpture

2023
Aedicula,
permanent installation, Abdij van Park, Leuven, BE
Monolith I,(temporary) Domein Calmeyn, Drogenbos, BE

2022
Omnium Memoria,
permanent installation, Prinses Josephine-Charlotte park, Lokeren, BE

2021
In Memoriam,
permanent installation, Pliniuspark, Tongeren, BE

2018
Acheron I
, (temporary) Liquid City, Bruges Triennial, Bruges, BE

2015
Stoel des Erfgoeds
, permanent installation ‘Een Thuis voor een Beeld 2015’, Melle, BE

2014
Omnium Memoria,
(temporary) Park Ter Beuken, Lokeren,

2012
De Profundis,
(temporary) Façade, Middelburg NL
Amnis, (temporary) Kanal – ondernemen is een kunst, Wielsbeke, BE

2008
Oblivio
(temporary) Lustwarande ’08, Park de Oude Warande, Tilburg, NL
Belvédère, permanent installation, Waterschei, Genk, BE

2003
Antrum IV – scale 1/3
, permanent installation, provinciaal vormingscentrum Hanenbos, Beersel, BE

Galleries

AXEL VERVOORDT GALLERY
Kanaal
Stokerijstraat 19
2110 Wijnegem
Belgium
+32 3 355 33 00
info@axelvervoordtgallery.com
www.axel-vervoordt.com

AXEL VERVOORDT GALLERY HONG KONG
21F, Coda Designer Centre
62, Wong Chuk Hang Road
Entrance via Yip Fat Street (next to Ovolo Hotel)
Hong Kong
+852 2503-2220
+852 2503-2331
info@axelvervoordtgallery.com.hk
www.axel-vervoordt.com

RON MANDOS
Prinsengracht 282
1016 HJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
+31 20 3207036
mail@ronmandos.nl
www.ronmandos.nl

MATTHEW LIU FINE ARTS
Suite 205-206A
99 East Beijing Road
Shanghai 200002
China
+86 21 6315 1582
info@mlfinearts.com
www.mlfinearts.com