The Gate Koksijde

Entrance gate on the roundabout on the Zeelaan.

The artwork has been there since the 2000s and, according to mayor Marc Vanden Bussche (LB), is iconic. It is a design by Buro Voor Vrije Ruimte from Ghent together with artist Yves Desmet.

The residents call it 'the gate' or 'the car wash'.

Yves De Smet

Yves De Smet was born in 1946 in Ghent and died there in 2004. He studied monumental arts and modern philosophy.

Initially, De Smet's oeuvre mainly consisted of monochrome reliefs, architectural integrations, minimalist constructions and concrete poetry. In 1964 De Smet came into contact with Amedée Cortier, with whom he became very good friends. In 1966 De Smet founded the Plus group together with Willy Plompen and Jan van den Abbeel. The artists in this group also referred to themselves as the "Ghent Constructivists." Their aim was to elevate painting to a total, multisensory experience. Experiencing art had to be more than just looking at a work of art on the wall. Moreover, they also opposed the idea that art should be narrative, symbolic or expressionistic. The Plus group fell apart in 1968. In 1969, De Smet, together with Cortier, founded the Plus-Kern group, a center for constructive design.

Ultimately, Yves De Smet left constructivist art and focused on conceptual art. The concept of relationships is central here. These relationships can be linguistic, but also mathematical, material or emotional, or even a combination of all of these.

Willem Vandenameele