I am surprised to see that in contemporary art, there are more and more works featuring images of birds. As I am a casual birdwatcher myself, but also an artist, this intrigues me greatly. Why am I suddenly seeing so many birds? Is this simply because birds have been depicted for centuries? In the past, birds were painted and sculpted not only for their grace and beauty, but also because they symbolised certain concepts: the owl for wisdom, the dove for peace, the vulture for misfortune, etc.

Do birds symbolise something again? Do birds creep into the work of contemporary artists because they are inspired by old masters such as Frans Snijders, Rubens, Jan Fyt, Paul de Vos... Does it have to do with the aesthetic power that birds radiate?

Is it a compulsion for freedom, or is it, as is so often the case, that artists are keeping their finger on the pulse and want to make us aware of the fact that this species is rapidly disappearing? It is simply a fact that fewer and fewer birds can be spotted in nature, but all the more in art.

This is why Kunstenhuis is opening its doors to an exhibition entirely dedicated to birds.

Klaus Verscheure - curator