Manufacture 2

24 Sep-5 Nov 2011

Overview

The exhibition Manufacture explores what “production” means for artists today, not only in relation to art history but also to the shifts in our globalized, consumer society. Descendants of conceptual art as much as of our industrial heritage, the artists in Manufacture do not hesitate to delve into craftsmanship, the recuperation of materials, bricolage, employing a vocabulary of forms, gestures and techniques while avoiding the fetishization of perfect technique. In fact, several share the practice of consciously “misusing” their chosen materials and techniques. Others explore the possibilities offered by the unknown, by failure, chance and accident. What inspires them all in their production processes – sometimes spontaneous, sometimes laborious – is the question of practice and how this practice entails a form of emancipation. Artists: Michael Beutler, Dewar & Gicquel, Ida Ekblad, Hedwig Houben, Emmanuelle Lainé, Charles Mason.