{"id":846997,"date":"2026-08-05T13:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/846997\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T13:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:02:14","slug":"egon-van-herreweghe-transforms-storefront-canopies-into-sculpture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/846997\/","title":{"rendered":"egon van herreweghe transforms storefront canopies into sculpture"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>how storefront canopies shape architecture and urban identity<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Egon Van Herreweghe transforms the storefront canopy, one of the most overlooked architectural elements of the city, into the subject of his latest solo <a href=\"https:\/\/www.designboom.com\/tag\/exhibitions\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">exhibition<\/a>. Presented at Footnote Gallery in Ghent, The Menu brings together four sculptural reproductions of storefront canopies that reference familiar urban typologies, from a French bistro and Italian gelateria to a Greek taverna and Chinese takeaway. Detached from their original buildings, the works investigate how architectural details communicate identity long before anyone steps inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Projecting from facades into public space, canopies occupy a position between architecture and graphic communication. While they provide shelter, they also announce what lies beyond using color and typography. In The Menu, Van Herreweghe isolates these familiar structures from their functional role, presenting them as sculptures whose primary purpose is no longer protection but signification.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202423 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 1\" width=\"818\" height=\"547\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>all images by <a href=\"https:\/\/thomasmin.be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Thomas Min<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>egon van herreweghe turns storefront canopies into sculpture<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Egon Van Herreweghe\u2019s exhibition takes its cue from the neighborhood surrounding the gallery, a street lined with Turkish restaurants and other independent businesses whose storefronts contribute to the visual character of the area. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.egonvanherreweghe.be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Belgian artist<\/a> reflects on the architectural language through which cities construct ideas of elsewhere. The four works, Le Bistrot, Gelateria, Greece, and Chinese Restaurant, draw on recognizable combinations of lettering, color, and form that evoke national or cultural associations, revealing how commercial architecture often compresses place into a set of instantly legible signs.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Installed against the gallery\u2019s white walls, the canopies, viewed head-on, read almost like flattened storefront graphics; from an angle, their depth becomes apparent, recalling their original architectural function. Although slightly smaller than their real-world counterparts, they retain enough physical presence to evoke the familiar gesture of shelter without ever becoming usable architecture.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The installation reinforces this shift in meaning. Footnote Gallery was reconfigured with new partition walls, and the passage leading to the rear of the space was closed, preventing the canopies from framing an entrance. Removed from facades, businesses, and customers, they are presented on their own terms, inviting viewers to consider the visual systems that normally fade into the background of everyday urban experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Constructed from painted cotton stretched over metal frames, the sculptures deliberately retain the appearance of commercial objects while occupying the context of contemporary art. Van Herreweghe, who develops the works before commissioning their fabrication, continues his interest in questions of authorship, authenticity, and value by shifting everyday visual culture into the gallery.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202422 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 2\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934930_298_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>installation view of The Menu at Footnote Gallery<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202421 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 3\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934931_261_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>four storefront canopies are detached from their original architectural context<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202429 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 4\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934931_307_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>the gallery was reconfigured with new partition walls<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202428 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 5\" width=\"818\" height=\"1227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934932_905_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>Le Bistrot (2026) reproduces the curved storefront canopy as a freestanding sculptural object<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202427 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 6\" width=\"818\" height=\"1227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934932_439_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>Greece (2026) isolates the storefront canopy from its functional role, emphasizing its symbolic qualities<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202424 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 7\" width=\"818\" height=\"1227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934933_111_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>Gelateria (2026) retains the proportions of a commercial canopy while functioning as a wall-mounted sculpture<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202420 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 8\" width=\"818\" height=\"1227\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934934_816_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>Chinese Restaurant (2026) isolates the familiar takeaway canopy from its storefront<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1202425 size-full lazyload\" bad-src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"storefront canopies leave the streets behind to become sculptures of urban identity - 9\" width=\"818\" height=\"545\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785934934_512_storefront-canopies-streets-sculptures-urban-identity-egon-van-herreweghe-footnote-gallery-designboo.jpeg\"  data- loading=\"lazy\"\/><br \/>four sculptural canopies occupy the gallery without framing an entrance<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>project info:<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>exhibition: The Menu<\/p>\n<p>artist: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.egonvanherreweghe.be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Egon Van Herreweghe<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/egonvanherreweghe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@egonvanherreweghe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>venue: <a href=\"https:\/\/footnote.gallery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Footnote Gallery<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/footnote.gallery\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@footnote.gallery<\/a><\/p>\n<p>location: Sint-Salvatorstraat 123, Ghent, Belgium<\/p>\n<p>dates: July 17th \u2013 August 29th, 2026<\/p>\n<p>photographer:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thomasmin.be\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Thomas Min<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/_thomas_min_\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@_thomas_min_<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"how storefront canopies shape architecture and urban identity \u00a0 Egon Van Herreweghe transforms the storefront canopy, one of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":846998,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75,35111,9418],"class_list":["post-846997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-exhibitions","tag-sculpture"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=846997"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/846997\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/846998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=846997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=846997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=846997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}