Biography of Koen Broucke
Born in 1965 in Sint-Amandsberg, Broucke studied history at the Universities of Antwerp and Brussels (1983–1987). His historical training continues to underpin his artistic work: archival research, fictional histories, observational walks and meticulous reconstruction are recurring methodologies in his practice.
After completing his studies, he obtained a studio at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, where he graduated in 1994. Since then, he has developed an oeuvre that deliberately resists linear progression. Broucke works across drawing, painting, video, installation, music, publications and performance. This versatility is not stylistic fragmentation, but a consistent mode of thinking: each medium functions as a gateway to a self-created world of characters, histories and investigations.
Theme and method
Broucke’s work is deeply rooted in both art history and historical imagination. He constructs fictional artist biographies and inhabits imaginary figures, creating works from their perspective. These alter egos function as lenses through which he reinterprets, questions or ironises art-historical themes.
His practice also aligns with the tradition of the walking artist. During long walks, he gathers impressions, stories and images that later surface in his drawings and paintings.
Exhibitions and projects
Broucke has exhibited widely in Belgium and abroad. His projects range from intimate living-room performances – such as Moscou/Braaklanden (S.M.A.K., 2009) – to large-scale exhibitions in which paintings, drawings, archival material, documents and historical loans converge.
Recent and upcoming exhibitions, including Op drift, Flights to Kampen 1914–2024 (Stedelijk Museum Kampen), Mosa Mystica (De Halle, Geel), and The Artist Who Wanted to Be a Detective (St. Peter’s Abbey, Ghent), demonstrate his continued relevance.
Collaboration plays an important role in Broucke’s practice. He has shared the stage with musicians such as Jan Michiels and Mauro Pawlowski. Together with Koen Peeters, Peter Holvoet-Hanssen and Pascal Verbeken, he created Miavoye (De Bezige Bij, 2014), a book about the final days of Paul Van Ostaijen. For Bart Van Loo, he designed the scenography for Napoleon (2016). With Koen Peeters, he realized Room in Ostend – an exhibition at Mu.ZEE, a performance at Theater aan Zee in 2018, and a book published in 2019.
Research and academic engagement
Broucke obtained a PhD in the arts at KU Leuven (2013–2019) and has been a Research Fellow at the Glasgow School of Art since 2015. His academic work deepens his artistic practice: he explores how history is narrated, distorted and imagined; how fiction can reveal a form of historical truth; and the role of historical sensation and the genius loci.
His work is included in numerous museum collections, including the Stedelijk Museum Het Domein in Sittard (NL), the Stedelijk Museum Kampen (NL), the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Museum Plantin-Moretus/Print Room in Antwerp, the Dr. Guislain Museum and S.M.A.K. in Ghent, the Musée de la Vie Wallonne in Liège, the Lönnström Art Museum in Rauma (Finland), and the Vincent van Gogh House in Zundert (NL).
