Winnie-World-expo
Winnie-World-Expo
24 Feb-23 March '24
FRED&FERRY gallery
Antwerp
Claessens invited ten other artists to organise a miniature world exhibition:
Violette Potet,
Arash Shahali,
Arne Van De Mierop,
Each of them designed a small pavilion based on the question: what would you create for a World Expo about the future? This concept helps Claessens navigate her own fears about the state of the world, because, at times, even within the realm of the arts, she finds herself losing track. Does everything always have to be so clearly defined? Who is ever truly sure of themselves?
Gilles Dusong’s (°1995) modular shapes express the complexity of our urbanised environment, evaluating the delicate balance between human progress and the organic world. In a similar vein, Arne Van De Mierop (°1988) constructed a megalith made from a tree divided into four segments. It was first cast in concrete and then burned. What remains is the tree’s cross-shaped fossil, serving as a reminder of nature in a world that is increasingly artificial. Kasper De Vos (°1988) also plays with scale through an everyday object. Using empty pill strips, he constructed a translucent roof like a temple for daily contemporary actions.
Violette Potet’s pavilion (°1999) serves as a panic room, a safe space to hide when danger looms. Will we need such spaces in the future to let go of anxiety? Potet presents nomadic counterparts of several everyday objects, readily available when needed. Wannes Verhees (°1987) also reaches for everyday objects, aiming to represent typical Belgian things with his brick waffles. The pavilion is like a quick-build kit for you to DIY. Arthur Van de Velde (°1998) also assembles things, presenting his self-generating power plant born out of a belief in recycling his immediate environment. However, he admits the machine probably won’t work. Or will it? Is it selÿ-dentiÿication or self-caricaturisation? That’s what Fabrice Hofmans (°1990) is wondering in his flattened preemptive projection.
Hannelore Vandepoel’s practice (°1992) is characterised by quiet colours, popular culture, and adorable creatures. Her design for the “World Expo” stacks the familiar on the new – a miniaturised, foldable version of the artist’s studio perches atop a museum park. In turn, Anne Beumer (°1994) reconstructs the exhibition space the pavilion is located in, using a collage of available images of the gallery. This results in a distorted version of the viewer’s current world. Arash Shahali (°1987) also plays with perception in his pavilion, where the audience is showered with glitter and sequins, offering careless entertainment. Simultaneously, the subjects of the exhibition are objectified and sexualised. Doesn’t this remind you of how world expos used to exhibit people from different cultures alongside vases and other artefacts?
text: Yasmin Van ’tveld
Photo's by; Tomas Uyttendaele