Dennis Tyfus – Cultuurhuis de Warande, Belgium

The Antwerp artist Dennis Tyfus (°1979) never stands still. This applies both to his insatiable zest for work and to the dynamic nature of his work. There is no limit to the techniques he applies, the guises he takes, the questions he raises, the collaborations he enters into and the spaces he activates.

His versatile oeuvre is not created haphazardly. It is often a playful response to social trends and everyday concerns. The technical limitations that Tyfus encounters in almost every creative process have also begun to inspire him instead of frustrating him.

Tyfus sees these limitations as a leeway that he temporarily bends to his will and then releases them again. He does this by imposing seemingly bizarre rules and restrictions not only on himself, but also on others. Tyfus gives a new meaning to the freedom of choice so cherished today. He does this in an absurdist style that is reminiscent of the work of Wim T. Schippers and Dieter Roth. The result is a parody of life in which the possibilities are endless and the number of participants unlimited.

The exhibition ‘Don’t Tell Me Not to Tell You What to Do’ is also not bound by conventions. The strongly imposed course that shapes various installations, sculptures, pencil drawings and videos is just as likely to be abandoned during the course of the exhibition. Tyfus makes full use of the museum space by also organizing concerts, lectures, debates and performances, tattoo sessions and unforeseeable activities. This creates a non-stop dance of multiplication, the end of which is difficult to predict.