Then he turned to full height and, while he cursed his eyes, stabbed himself with the sharp points of the eyeballs,
so the blood from the cavities on his pale cheeks. "Oh, intolerable inescapable dark night that knows no day! Cloud which no wind can be removed, O, and again the pervasive pain, torture of the flesh and the spirit of black memory."
(King Oedipus, Sophocles)

In the works of Staf De Smedt, not only do we find references to mythology and cosmic phenomena, his diary-like miniatures are witnesses of an ongoing inner emotion and questioning. In the corner cafe, sitting at some small table, where most of his works on coasters were created, his battles with all of the forces affecting life and human identity were held.
Raf De Smedt, Curator

Tianjin Hong De Art Museum, Tianjin, China, shows over 500 works on beer-coasters from Staf De Smedt. Dates: september 30 to oktober 31, 2011.