“Pee-wee's Big Adventure”

with Veronika Bezdenejnykh, Fiona Mackay, Karel Thienpont, Dieter Ravyts, Julien Meert

March 19  - April 10, 2022

One of my best friends suggested this title when I told him about the selection of artist for this show. (so thank you Wim). It is truth that all the work on display could belong to the universe of Pee-wee Herman. And besides this, the name has a catch to it… Pee-wee at Pizza (there’s a ring to it no?)

Through the works on display, we almost enter the imaginary universe of Pee-wee. It is not hard to think about his fantastic Playhouse in Puppet land when gazing at this exhibition.

Pizza gallery is filled with works that remind us of the toys, talking furniture and puppet characters that inhabit Herman’s world. We see the comical, in works by Karel and Dieter, the animated in the work by Josse Pyl who’s teeth almost devour the space itself, or the work by Veronika that translate our daily reality in animation stills. Almost literal in, the work of Julien Meert transforms us into space.

Fionas work also hints towards a human, erotic undertone of the Pee-wee Herman character, and it’s world. The erotic tone of her work could pinpoint to the scandal  in the 90s that questioned the sanitized portraiture of the actor behind the Pee-wee personage. He (the actor) got caught in an adult theater, and by so reminded us that we all by our human nature are imperfect.

Maybe a puritan American wasn’t ready for the curtain to be pulled in that way. It took the actor and therefore also the character a decade to reemerge on our radar. But we’re happy he got back in the end!

This show was curated by Michiel Ceulers for Lesage invited by Pizza Gallery. Thanks to everybody involved.