Bert Huyghe, Sine Van Menxel, Rein Dufait, Pei-Hsuan Wang, Michael De Ruyck, Maria Roosen, Kris Fierens, Ilse Van Roy, Hans Segers & Erwin Keustermans A pro pot IV
According to Heidegger, works of art have the capacity to show things as they are by isolating them from their everyday unremarkably. In doing so, Heidegger separates the magical from the mundane but also argues that the magical could be located among the mundane.
Could this have something to do with the enthusiasm for everyday objects like pots, bowls, vases, plates, ... ? They show themselves apart from any material, as space-encompassing and space-giving objects. Their appearance goes way back into antiquity. Their function ranges from cooking pots to ritual objects, from urns to one of the earliest art objects (the oldest are the Japanese Jomon pots 11th millennium BC). Topical as they are, pots and vases are isolated and placed on pedestals today as works of art. In A PRO POT, they, too, are taken out of context and are sources of inspiration, reflection, poetry, and engagement for many contemporary artists and viewers.
A PRO POT, originated from my personal interest and long-standing fascination with the vase, pot, bowl, plate, ... in contemporary art. The project consists of a series of exhibitions focusing on vessels used or represented in several artists' work across disciplines. From each artist, I will show a piece where the pot, bowl, plate, ... is visibly present or referenced. In addition, a second work from this artist's oeuvre is presented, freely chosen (apart from the pot shape). The choice of duos, two works per artist, paves the way to broaden the expressiveness of the theme and open up the project.
The bowl, plate, vase, ... I discover sideways within a work of art, out of the corner of my eye, in museums and galleries. Time and again, they thrill me; I capture them in photographs, and invariably, I add them to a steadily growing digital archive of work by now more than five hundred artists. Some artworks in this ranking have led to a tipping point or to core ideas within this research. For instance, the work of Marcel Broodthaers, seen at Ronny Van de Velde gallery in Knokke, was a stimulus to deepen the project. The large black-and-white photographs Vasenekstase by Ann and Bernhard Blume also joined the collection after a visit to the Kolumba Museum in Cologne. They are images of an animated game where pots are thrown and caught or just crash; in other words, a mad theatre of pots and shards. It is magical to witness these works in an exhibition full of crockery.
A PRO POT, has a very simple through concept. At the same time, it critically evaluates the interdisciplinary nature and application of the pot and vase in contemporary visual practices and the surprising wealth of content associated with them. Conceptually approached, the project is brought to a broad audience in an accessible way. In addition, A PRO POT, aims to share and transmit a disinterested well-being around pot, vase, and bowl, ..... in contemporary art, and above all, it is a plea for enduring wonder.
Trees De Mits, 2022
- Location
- Brussels
- Date
- —
- Open Sunday:
- 13.10.2024
Selected Images
Selected Images
“"You put down a pot, and the space around it transforms. You arrange sets of pots, creating a more intricate rhythm."”
For the fourth edition, artist and curator Trees De Mits selects pieces in which a pot takes centre stage – sometimes prominently displayed alone, at other times subtly present yet equally impactful in multiples
Artists in this exhibition
Related publications & editions
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Sine Van Menxel, Michael De Ruyck, Maria Roosen, Pei-Hsuan Wang, Rein Dufait, Hans Segers, Kris Fierens, Ilse Van Roy, Erwin Keustermans & Bert Huyghe A pro pot IV
Publication
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