04/08/2026
Few more photos from 𝐉𝐎𝐘 𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐂𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐘, our previous solo show by William Ludwig Lutgens
“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘺𝘢𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘱.”
Like a suspended state of exhaustion, almost fuelled by a sleep paralysis-like condition, Joy Sauce in the Belly unfolds as a sequence of caricatural characters emerging like hallucinatory projections.
A mass of figures perform in various forms throughout the exhibition, oscillating between parody and psychological breakdown. Instinctively exploring humankind through anecdotes that slowly slip into darker territories of pleasure and suffering, William Ludwig Lutgens choreographs and performs his works at the same time, becoming both protagonist and source for his ongoing preoccupations with burnout, co-dependency, power relations, attachment and emotional exhaustion. Props and caricatural apparitions wearing wigs reveal their flesh like zombified carnations - decomposing, almost slipping out of their own skin.
The image of the worker, the exploiter and the exploited collapse into one another, all leading toward systems of control, subjugation and alienation. Through theatrical gestures, grotesque humor and dramatic excess, Lutgens constructs a sad parody of contemporary existence, where characters drift through choreographed situations suspended between thriving and collapse, desire and disgust, performance and spiritual fatigue.
The exhibition investigates a form of traumatic enjoyment rooted in repetition, pressure and the illusion that everything can be possessed, controlled or fulfilled. Beneath its satirical surface lies an existential wound: an incoherent mass that consumes, reshapes and recycles us while we continue performing through solitude, dependency and the fear of disintegration.
William Ludwig Lutgens (1991, Turnhout) works with painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, and film. In his multidisciplinary practice, he explores the human ego and the influence of media and societal systems within a performance-driven, late-neoliberal society. Playful, alter-ego-like characters often appear in his work, seemingly trapped within rigid social structures.The grotesque plays an important role in his work: a space where humor and horror, or attraction and repulsion, overlap. Through absurdity, satire, and estrangement, Lutgens offers social commentary on themes such as economic competition, artistic practice, labor, and authority, inviting audiences to reflect on the images, expectations, and structures that shape contemporary life.
Lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium.
//
Photos by Mădălin Mărgăritescu .dox / .studio and Cezar Cîmpeanu
Part of „Aproape de Curba Morții”. Cultural project co-financed by the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. The project does not necessarily represent the position of the Administration of the National Cultural Fund. AFCN is not responsible for the content of the project or for how its results may be used. These are entirely the responsibility of the funding recipient.
Supported by the Flemish government / Met de steun van de Vlaamse Overheid
--
Nog zes dagen om onze nieuwste solotentoonstelling JOY SAUCE IN THE BELLY van William Ludwig Lutgens te bezoeken open op afspraak tot 22.06
‘Je betrapt jezelf op gapen, maar dat betekent niet dat je kunt slapen.’
Als een zwevende toestand van uitputting, bijna aangedreven door een slaapverlamming-achtige toestand, ontvouwt Joy Sauce in the Belly zich als een reeks karikaturale personages die opduiken als hallucinatoire projecties. (...)
