START POINT PRIZE – Prize for emerging artists

These classmates since secondary school have worked together as an art duo for the past several years. They freely move among various media, ranging from film and photography to objects, sculptures, installations and even performances. It seems that they are able to absorb an infinite amount of perceptions and information from the world around them. And vice versa, they spill a practically unreduced mass back out: a stream that seems to be organised and transformed, but whose meaning is difficult to decipher – making it all the more attractive and disquieting. Something that harks back to early dada-cabaret is taking place in the hunter’s high seat, where a hyperrealistic painting of the Google homepage has been installed in the lookout. The same applies for the film What About American History, which describes the impact of contemporary American culture with absolute seriousness – but behind a theatre mask. (Ondřej Chrobák)

Frank Merkx and Robbert Goyvaerts collaborate since 2006. Together they are known as ‘Robbert&Frank’ and ‘Frank&Robbert’. They work on performances, video’s, films, installations, drawings. Frank Merkx is also active as a painter, drawer-illustrator and actor; Robbert Goyvaerts is a graphic designer.