The Image as Language
Fabricio Vanden Broeck works from the image as a space of concentration. His practice is grounded in synthesis, in the possibility of saying a great deal with very few elements and generating impact without resorting to the literal. There is a visual economy at play that does not seek to soften the message, but to sharpen it: every decision matters, every element carries weight.
“My work is a kind of synthetic or symbolic expressionism. I try to say a lot with very little and with force. I’m interested in creating a strong impact.”
– Fabricio Vanden Broeck
In his work, the image functions as a point of tension where broad and often uncomfortable questions emerge. The human condition runs through his practice constantly, not through narrative or anecdote, but through a direct observation of what tends to unsettle: inequality, injustice, violence. These are not illustrated themes, but condensed ones.
That condensation does not eliminate expressiveness. On the contrary, his work maintains a clear sense of strength while avoiding solemnity. There is a conscious use of humor as displacement, as a way of opening readings and avoiding closed answers.
Process as a Position
His path was not linear. Originally trained as an industrial designer, he made the decision to change direction and devote himself to children’s book illustration at a time when that field barely existed in Mexico. That move was not a break, but an expansion: from there, his practice opened up to other languages, always connected to the power of the image as a tool for communication and thought.
Process occupies a central place in the way he works. Research, searching and experimentation are part of the act itself, not as preliminary stages but as a constant practice. Risk does not appear as error, but as a condition assumed from the outset.
Within that process, experimentation is also the space he enjoys the most, where accident and trial become active parts of the language.
“The part of experimentation. I like taking risks and playing with accidents.”
– fabricio vanden broeck
In the studio, a work is not defined by technical criteria or by a pre-established idea of closure. The ending appears when something is activated, when the piece surprises even the person who made it.
“You decide a work is finished when it surprises you.”
– fabricio vanden broeck
Expansion and New Directions
His relationship with the market remains in the background. He does not work from external expectations, but from the need to sustain a practice that is coherent with his own satisfaction and capable of generating interest around it.
Today, his work is at a moment of material expansion. His interest in exploring new supports opens up a different field of possibilities, such as molded glass, where the image stops being only surface and begins to dialogue with matter in a different way.
Beyond media, what interests him is generating crossings. His work seeks to enter into dialogue with other fields, particularly philosophy and musical culture.
Being part of Art Week CDMX 2026 represents an expansion of context: the possibility for his work to circulate in other settings, engage with new perspectives and enter a broader conversation.
“It means opening up to other horizons, expanding the possibilities for the visibility of my work.”
In that displacement, between image, process and material, his practice asserts itself through concentration and risk, using synthesis not as reduction, but as intensity.
Follow the Artist
Fabricio Vanden Broeck
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fabricio_vandenbroeck?igsh=MXNkemkzOWMxdXFtNQ==
Website: http://fabriciovandenbroeck.com/#display
