To create the gray coating that is a signature of his sculptures, the Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck invented a technique in which many thin coats of paint are layered until a soft, velvety texture is achieved. That texture, de Beeck has said, “makes one think of Pompeii: a life frozen in time.” A young girl with angel wings, a vanity table cluttered with curios, three roosting chickens—sculptures like these are imbued with a sense of stillness and melancholy, as if blanketed in ancient ash. Pairing de Beeck’s pearly sculptures with his watercolor paintings and a new black-and-white animated film, this exhibition at Templon plunges viewers into a strange and contemplative universe. —Paulina Prosnitz