Guy Bleus

Since starting his artistic practice in the 1970s, Guy Bleus (Hasselt, 1950) has held an important position in national and international art history. Bleus denounces the degeneration of administration into bureaucracy. He founded 'The Administration Centre' in 1978, through which he transforms all kinds of official documents (identity cards, marriage certificates, diplomas, et cetera) through rituals and examines their credibility, legal validity and social truth. The bulk of his actions and physical works have been sent around the world by post through the transnational 'Mail Art' network in which Bleus plays a crucial role.

The exhibition A scented dialogue between the postman and his electronic shadow is inspired by the title of one of Bleus' manifestos on communication (from 1994). Using historical installations, never-before-exhibited printed matter and Mail Art correspondences from Bleus' personal archive, the exhibition offers a contemporary perspective on the extensive oeuvre of this unjustly underexposed artist.

Guy Bleus registered as a brand name at the Benelux Trademark Office in The Hague on 2 August 1979, for the categories: "Kl 3 Perfumery. Kl 16 Printed matter, magazines, books, photographs, covers and letters. Kl 28 Games (...), toys". Since then, he has used the number "42,292" as a pseudonym. His mail art archive 'The Administration Centre' contains works and information of 6,000 artists from some 60 countries. Among other things, Bleus organised the travelling exhibition The Artistamp Collection at the Provinciaal Museum Hasselt (1995) and the Poorthuis in Genk, and realised a mail project on scents, hair locks and kisses with 778 participating artists from 43 countries at Kunstencentrum Z33 in Hasselt (2005).