The works are part of the group exhibition "Hindsight" that took place at the B32 Artspace (Maastricht, NL) in November 2022.
Participated artists: Ilse Van Roy (BE), Fee Veraghtert (BE), Famke Storms (NL), Louisa Vergozisi (GR &NL)
The exhibition is part of the SWAP series initiated by Karin Peulen.
The following works are mine.
Pink View, 2022 (pink candle threads on bricks)
Emblema, 2022 (oxidised copper icons)
Memoria, 2021
Greek Vintage: Katerina's bathroom, 2021 (fine art print, A4)
Greek Vintage: Nitsa's bathroom, 2022 (fine art print, A3)
Hindsight, B32 Artspace, 2022 - Photo Romy Finke
Hindsight, B32 Artspace, 2022 - Photo Romy Finke
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Hindsight is the fifth exhibition in the SWAP series, initiated by Karin Peulen and hosted at B32. In this exhibition, artists Ilse Van Roy, Fee Veraghtert, Famke Storms and Louisa Vergozisi come together to create an exhibition that highlights the places where their practices overlap: in special attention to detail, emphasis on formal aspects such as colour, shapes and spatial composition, and utmost care and precision.
‘Above all, let us feel the work. Let it be visual, to be experienced, and not just to be understood.’
Hindsight means collecting. The collecting and collections of four artists from the Netherlands and Belgium, whose work across different media shares a finesse, an attention to detail and an importance of the final gestures. The collecting of memories, ideas, forms, and shapes to then pour these into scenographies, into certain spatial constellations. The collecting of own archives and bringing these together in this exhibition, that can be seen more as a collaboration.
Hindsight means time. The time for reflecting on something that has happened. The time for rethinking things in the past with the knowledge of the present. The time in the past that four artists put into the making of their work. The time in the present that they come together to bring these works together into a show. The time in the future that they ask from us as viewers to look at their work.
Hindsight means condensation. The condensation of initial inspiration into ideas, and from ideas and sketches into the final visual works. The process of condensation by focusing only on the details that demand to be put into the art and filtering out the rest. The condensation from a full artist studio into a selection of works that fit into a car or a bag to be carried by two hands, into a curated collection of works by each artist as they are distilled into a cohesive exhibition during the work process at B32. The act of condensation also functions an act of expansion: to be inspired by each other and have the final result be greater than the sum of its parts.
To write about an exhibition that is not only not yet installed, but also not even thought out fully in concept, is an interesting and seemingly impossible task. What words does something require that does not even exist?
I meet with the four artists a week before they drive their cars or public transportation to Maastricht and install the work for the show that does not have a title yet. The absence of words that I am being expected to write are one thing; the leading thought of a title and concept not being there requires an extra open mind and an extra special way of writing that I have never explored yet.
But in the hour and a half that the five of us speak, magic happens. I see connections being made, I see words being found, I see concrete ideas coming to live. As Ilse, Famke, Fee and Louisa talk about their work and their expectations for the exhibition, some of the things fall into place. As they talk about parallels between artists and antiquarians, both collecting visual and valuable things that hold a dear place in their heart, I experience parallels between their way of approaching this exhibition and the way that I am writing the accompanying text. To collect our own thoughts, our own works, and bring them into the exhibition installation to use them as building blocks. As our talk progresses, I too am inspired to approach my textual contribution as modules that can be edited as pleased: snippets of texts being used along the works, the texts I write being cut up and taken entirely out of context as the exhibition is being shaped during installation.
At the end of our talk, Ilse makes a remark about authorship and collaboration. ‘To work together, it requires a degree of letting go of ego and authorship: to make sacrifices in favour of the big picture.’ As I write this text the day before the installation starts and won’t see it again until the exhibition opens, I too sacrifice my authorship and hand it over to others to be used as how they seem fit. It is scary, it is exciting. In just ninety minutes, the artists have drawn me into their mindset and made me an intricate part of their process. It goes to show how deep their connection is on an existential artistic level and gives me the full confidence to hand my textual input over and surrender to the process and the greater good of a no-doubt great exhibition.
TEXT BY LINDA KÖKE
