Johan Tahon is one of Belgium's leading artists. Born in Menen in 1965, he lives and works in Zwalm and Oudenaarde (Belgium) and in Iznik (Turkey). He studied sculpture at the Ghent Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Since 1994 Johan Tahon exposes his work on regular basis in Belgium as well as abroad. After several studio shows, he had his first breakthrough when he participated in the exhibition 'De Rode Poort' in the Ghent Museum of Contemporary Art in 1996. Commissioned by KATHO University College, he created the sculpture entitled 'Arche' for the campus in Kortrijk. The artist sees 'Arche' as an invitation to communication about alchemy and imagination, about emotion and reason, and about art and science. In their contribution in this book, the authors explore the specific meaning of Johan Tahon's work within the contemporary art scene, with a special focus on the various steps in the process of creating 'Arche'.