From classical sculptures making out in bed to a group of people swimming inside a traditional Portuguese can of sardines, the works of Sammy Slabbinck transport you to surreal, absurd places. He explores nudity, outer space and human behaviour through cut-outs of vintage magazines from the ‘60s and ‘70s, which he finds inspiring and, somehow, a sort of mission. He calls himself a re-animator because he gives them a new life, “a second chance as to speak”, he explains.
Re-Animator is precisely the title of his third solo show at London’s
Michael Hoppen Gallery, on view until January 25. We speak with him about glossy and cold magazines, Belgian humour, and his new method of collage-making.