BIO
Lou van ’t Riet grew up in Brussels where she studied design and architecture at the CAD (College of Art & Design) before leaving for her MFA at the SVA (School of Visual Arts) in New York. Seduced by the city, she lived there until 2017, working for the Chamber Gallery and for the multidisciplinary artist Katie Stout.
These years allowed her to explore and enrich her network of artistic references through exhibitions, discussions with artists and art professionals. Through her work at the gallery, her personal wandering in museums, she started to observe closely the viewers’ attitude toward the exhibited works of art. She was struck by the distance that was existing between the viewer and the work. ‘Stand back’, ‘do not touch’ are amongst the injunctions that keep the viewer at that distance, preventing him to engage in what the artist sees as an essential connection with the work.
Through her creations Lou aims to fill the growing distance between the viewer and the work and break the ‘do not touch’ rule.
Her idea is to create a different approach to art where the viewer is summoned to engage and even interfere physically with the work – allowing him to go beyond the traditional rules of an institution.
"C’est le regardeur qui fait l’œuvre"
Marcel Duchamp.
Conférence autour de l'oeuvre "Fontaine" de Marcel Duchamp, 1965.
Through her creations Lou aims to fill this growing distance between the viewer and the work and break the ‘do not touch’ rule. Her idea is to create a different approach to art where the viewer is summoned to engage and even interfere physically with the work – allowing him to go beyond the traditional rules of an institution.
With that intention Lou created her triptychs. Wall sculptures where the viewer is invited to become an active part of the work by manipulating it. These triptychs are organized in three articulated panels, each of different shapes and colors that create different visual compositions each time they are activated. By opening or closing a side the viewer will choose his variant in the geometrical and visual configuration. May the triptychs be closed, completely or partially opened; they are an invitation to contemplation.
Written by Astrid Malingreau
MANIFESTO
Awakening Curiosity, Abolishing Boundaries
I am
A dreamer, fascinated by modernity and refined forms. I have always defined myself through a love of detail and simplicity. My universe is rooted in minimalism — an aesthetic where less is more guides both gesture and thought. I am drawn to abstract forms, open to interpretation, without beginning or end, inviting imagination to wander.
I create
For me, creating is an instinctive and intuitive act. From childhood — surrounded by my mother’s desk overflowing with markers, rulers, and notebooks — to construction sites I explored with wonder, I have always been drawn to tools, materials, and the infinite possibilities they hold. My works exist at the intersection of design, art, and materiality. They refuse to belong to a single category and instead challenge established definitions.
I love
Assembling, cutting, crafting shapes and colors. I love watching people stop, interact, and contemplate my works from different angles. My creations are not meant to be observed from a distance, but to be fully experienced. I enjoy breaking rules, dismantling the boundary of “do not touch.” Interaction and movement lie at the heart of my work — a moment of exchange between my world and that of others.
I share
My art is a reflection of who I am and a transmission of my influences: countless hours spent in museums, a maternal inheritance of architecture and design, a fascination with tools and construction sites. My creations express a desire to awaken curiosity and encourage new ways of seeing.
I dislike
Rigid boundaries between art and design. The idea that artworks must be static, distant, or inaccessible. I struggle with limiting the relationship between viewer and work to vision alone — my works are meant to be touched, explored, and felt through all the senses.
I dream
Of a world where every artwork becomes a space of exchange. Where boundaries between disciplines dissolve. Where hands and eyes work together to create deeper connections. I dream of inspiring curiosity, of building bridges rather than walls, of reinventing the relationship we have with art and design.
Manifesto of a dreamer in action
To awaken, to abolish, to assemble
To create a universe where everyone can enter, touch, interact, and dream
Where interaction is not an addition, but an integral part of the work
Where art is not only seen — but felt
Seeing with our hands