Éric Duyckaerts' Glass Labyrinth and Performances at 2007 Venice Biennale

At the 2007 Venice Biennale, Belgian artist Éric Duyckaerts transformed the Belgian pavilion into a glass labyrinth with hexagonal modules, referencing fairground mirror mazes and laboratory T-mazes. The installation, housed in architect Léon Sneyers' 1907 pavilion, featured ten new video lectures on topics like set theory, color theory, and Marcel Mauss's concept of 'manas,' displayed on screens within the maze. Duyckaerts also performed live on June 6–8 in a mix of Italian, English, and gibberish, and organized an international swimming contest for art professionals at the Hôtel des Bains on the Lido on June 8. The exhibition was accompanied by a publication of seven texts by Éditions Léo Scheer, a website by Marc Renwart, and a catalogue with an interview by Hans Ulrich Obrist and essays by Jacques Dubois and Christine Macel, who also curated the show. Duyckaerts, born in Liège in 1953, is known for his lecture-performances that deconstruct authoritative discourse through absurdity and humor, as seen in works like Magister (1989) and The Dummy's Lesson (2000). His practice also includes sculptures such as Analogies and Anneaux de Soury, and Introspections (X-rays of walls).