In both his work and life, Stief DeSmet (1973) explores the ambiguous relationship between nature and culture, including the manipulation of nature by human hands and vice versa. The artist appears to be constantly caught between his actual existence in a hectic, consumption-driven modern society and a longing for a sublime, utopian state of nature. At the same time, he remains critical, subtly examining the relativity of this desire for an idyllic fantasy with a strong dose of irony. By manipulating iconic imagery, he shifts possible meanings, adds new layers of interpretation or deliberately misleads the viewer. DeSmet metaphorically cuts up his perceived surroundings and rearranges them into paintings, sculptures, collages, performances or videos.

Stief DeSmet (b. 1973, Deinze) lives and works in Bachte-Maria-Leerne (Belgium) and Minot (France). He studied at KASK and LUCA School of Arts in Ghent (Belgium). In recent years, he has held solo presentations at, among others, Cultuurcentrum De Garage Mechelen (Belgium), De Brakke Grond in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), MUDEL in Deinze (Belgium) and Be-Part in Waregem (Belgium). For Beaufort 2018, he created the permanent artwork Monument for a Wullok, a monumental bronze whelk along the coastline of Ostend. In 2005, he was awarded the Provincial Prize for Visual Arts of East Flanders (Belgium). His work is held in private collections in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, the United States, and Switzerland, as well as in public spaces in Belgium, the Netherlands and France.