This painting called "ADDRESSING THE ELEPHANT" is an invitation to think about racism, homophobia, xenophobia and Islamophobia in Belgium. I believe that a lot of people in Belgium - especially Flanders - are still very conservative (eg. the recent use of the n-word on national tv, people I know who think using the n-word/"homo" as a slur/stereotype is ok, the support for Vlaams Belang, banning other languages at schools etc.). The painting is grey, because Belgium, in my opinion, doesn't have much culture - colour - the culture they think they have is highly influenced by colonialism, white nationalism and post-war racism. The only vibrant colours are put in the bin - representing lgbtq, the blm movement, and other cultures. There is also still so much pressure on creating "the perfect (white) heterosexual family" (e.g. ads on tv, tv shows, marketing in streets, expectations when growing up).

Again, it’s just some food for thought.

Inspired by Vivarium!