Die weiße Schlange

Sascha Brylla & Clara-Lane Lens

22.02 - 08.03 - Onderbergen 51, 9000 Gent

Opening weekend:
Vernissage: Saturday 22.02, 18:00-22:30
Sunday 23.02 from 12:00 till 18:30

Exhibition:
Wednesday - Sunday, 12:00-18:30, from 26.02 untill 08.03

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A symbol of wisdom. A creature of transformation. A force to be reckoned with. The snake appears in countless myths, religions, and cultures - shedding skins, shifting meanings. Die weiße Schlange explores this complexity through the distinct yet intertwined practices of Sascha Brylla and Clara-Lane Lens.

Clara-Lane Lens, known for her intimate, melancholic oil portraits, takes a unique approach in this exhibition. Instead of traditional anthropomorphism, where animals are given human traits, she reverses the process: assigning the essence of animals from the Grimm story to human figures. The ravens, ants, and fish of the tale emerge as distinctly human yet infused with their animal symbolism in the narrative significance. Her work blurs the boundaries between species, questioning where instinct ends and identity begins. This shift from personal to allegorical transforms her practice, challenging perception and inviting deeper reflection within her own mind.

Sascha Brylla takes on the struggle. His works - meticulous watercolours, a departure from his usual sgraffito technique - distill masculinity in confrontation. A man against the snake, against transformation, against himself. But what is he truly fighting? Wisdom or fear? Power or surrender? The question lingers, unresolved.

Die weiße Schlange is not a story retold but a symbol dissected—layer by layer, stroke by stroke. A meditation on change, conflict, and meaning in motion.

This exhibition marks the inauguration of Murmur. Sascha Brylla and Clara-Lane Lens are both honoured to open this chapter with a show that transforms as it unfolds.

Reflections by the curators:

Folk tales such as The White Snake tend to capture our deepest instincts and primal longings. In a world where we have grasped full control of our environment and are shielded from the unruliness and cruelty of nature, we still seem to crave those raw, untamed and mysterious forces which once shaped us.

The tale of The White Snake treats one of our most primal desires: our need for wisdom takes the form of the ability communicate with the animal world. This childlike, universal desire exposes more than our search for knowledge: it exposes our deep need for reciprocity & emotional connection with the world around us. Die weiße Schlange reminds us that this primal need is amorf and unescapable. It is also the driving force behind our love for symbolism and mysticism. It grants us incredible strength and makes us deeply vulnerable.

Both Lens and Brylla have long explored identity and personal emotion with rare sensitivity, using their own unique languages. Their work is emotionally pure & introspective, embracing a kind of radical honesty that is as vulnerable as it is powerful.

We are honored to host Berlin-based artists Clara-Lane Lens & Sascha Brylla for their first duo show. This exhibition marks the beginning of a new era of creativity and artistic dialogue for Onderbergen 51. We couldn’t have wished for a more compelling duo to open this new chapter—artists whose work is as intimate as it is universal, and whose voices will leave a lasting imprint on our space.

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Requests for a private visit, Interest in this exhibit & the artworks on display can be directed at:

Lowie Clapéron
info@lesautres.be
+32 493506187

His work has been exhibited across Europe, including solo exhibitions such as "One In The Bush" at Weserhalle in Berlin and group shows like "L’Heure BLEUE" at PLUS-ONE GALLERY and GALLERY SOFIE VAN DE VELDE in Antwerp.
Weserhalle CHOI&CHOI Gallery