In de Ruimte presents:
H Y P E R M A R K E T
In De Ruimte is the first organisation to settle in the Refuge, a new programme line through which Kunsthal Gent offers a platform to artistic organisations from Ghent.
In De Ruimte is a multidisciplinary arts platform that aims to bridge the gap between starting artists and the professional field. The arts platform is dedicated to development, experimentation, professionalisation and presentation with an open and accessible structure. In de Ruimte is looking for a new location since 2019, after a temporary accommodation along the Fransevaart in Ledeberg.
Kunsthal Gent / Refuge
19.03.21 - 11.04.21
The term 'hyper' is related to the theory of Jean Baudrillard, which states that reality has become a hyper-reality of itself. The theory assumes a mediatised reality in which the original has been lost.
The distinction between high and low art no longer concerns an aesthetic judgment. Only the context is still decisive. Thus, what is placed within the institution is automatically a (forced) part of the higher culture experience.
The value of art is now no longer related to its cultural relevance but depends on both its initial value and its predicted value. The value is influenced by the market, the media and the institutional mechanisms.
Within the exhibition hypermarket, we ask the question whether the institution is still topical and relevant. The so-called 'higher quality' that the institute is supposed to accommodate is shaped by less visible factors. There are multiple interests at play in the placement of the artwork. With the hypermarket, we attempt to offer a satirical response to these institutional mechanisms.
We opt for a scenography that is based on consumerism. The exhibition is carried out in a white cube aesthetic, but it was decided to install the selected works on shop shelves. The shop racks are adapted to the works of art in order to display them optimally and form a critique of the product on the one hand and the institution on the other.
The invited artists:
Wannes Missotten
Ghent is rich in emerging artists and organisations. But the spaces where they can present their work are scarce. With the new programme line Refuge, Kunsthal Gent wants to contribute to a solution. Three times a year, Kunsthal Gent hands out the Oud Huis (the second exhibition space) to up-and-coming organisations in the Ghent visual arts. With complete carte blanche and a budget to make ambitious plans possible. This gives Ghent a new platform for experimentation and discovery.
In de Ruimte presents:
H Y P E R M A R K E T
