roundup 25

 

Colson in MuHKA

Didn't have much time to look at shows of late – for some reason scurrying about with all sorts of other things going on and only quick jump-ins here and there... saw The Muhka shows while considering the discussions on the demise of a museum, archival show of Morguen was interesting but most of it I sort of knew – fun to see the cake pieces Vaast Colson distributed (one was at the Teirlinckhuis back in the day) reunited – but aside from a few small moments not real impression... Made the effort to see the Donas show at KMSKA as well as the Magritte offering – and here too not bad but a bit underwhelmed, and as so often overrun – a problem nowadays.. 

 

view of work by Sylvie Janssen de Bisthoven in Oudenaarde

Had the chance to visit the Maagdendaal in Oudenaarde again after a long abscene- and was again charmed by Sylvie Janssen de Bisthoven's understatements – measuring discreetly the lines, forms and translucences in what seem at first hand classic poses – structures, frameworks, but immediately extend into the space around them and become in essence sculpture – what is that spacial drawing?(re) Defined space? In any case again glad I saw the most recent suggestions that adhere to the earlier proposals but are again a fresh turn.

 

Baldessari too was a refreshing re-visitation – of course quite a few flashbacks and old friends, but in this slightly idiosyncratic set up a revamped view and admittedly quite a bit of stuff I didn't know – or didn't know how they had progressed... being one of those unknowing victims who think they know- have seen identified and catalogues (categorized) the 'artist' only to find that a lot more was missing than (didn't) meet the eye – the films for instance I had a bit forgotten even though they influenced me from an early stage in my artzoo-gazebo.

 

Also got a chance to jump into Wiels, was curious to see work by Everlyn Nicodemus who had done a presentation at Factor 44 many years ago around 'échec' and here too I recognised the work and appreciate it's engagement for the wrongs and downtrodden, fitting well into the decolonial discourse, but not really reaching me (again) – similarly I was disappointed by the offerings of David Hockney – here too a 'known' for many years, but even with high-tech (well, used of digital) no real surprise and an attempt to reach the sublime by encasing in Mahler, Munch and Vincent VG didn't help – though I was satisfied to have seen these framing works, since there I did discover new slants on old knowns, and appreciated being able to see some 'in the flesh' – another reminder that repro just doesn't cut it – even if digitally born... it does reflect today's world though – flat & schematic, blaring colours with little subtlety, blow up out of it's natural proportions... as a former seriographer I can appreciate some of those qualities but on the whole just in passing by whereas even lesser works by more intriguing minds hold sway even after all these years. 

 

 VVG