FLACC
WORKPLACE FOR VISUAL ARTISTSNew artistic direction at FLACC
At the end of September 2008 Steven Op de Beeck left FLACC. Over the course of three years, in an engaged and professional manner, he had defined FLACC’s artistic policy. We wish to thank him for the creativity, enthusiasm and vigour he exercised in putting the workplace policy at FLACC definitively on the map. In so doing, Jon Mikel Euba’s boundary-shifting performance Re: horse was realised, as well as Sue de Beer’s ambitious film installlation Permanent Revolution, a reconstruction of the turbulent history of the German Bauhaus, and other projects. He also initiated collaborations in the region; namely, with the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht and the French Masereel Centre in Kasterlee. We wish Steven much success in his new function as director of Contour Mechelen.
Just before the New Year Ronald Van de Sompel succeeded him. Prior to his appointment at FLACC, Ronald conducted research projects into contemporary visual arts in Asia for Europalia Nippon Kinen in Tokyo, Japan, and at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, Netherlands. He also worked as an art critic, as a curator at MuHKA, Museum of Contemporary Art in Antwerp, Belgium, and at BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, United Kingdom. While at BALTIC he initiated a number of new commissions, including solo shows with Mark Manders (Short Sad Thoughts), Surasi Kusolwong (Woman, Machine and Motion), Subodh Gupta (Silk Route), and Sora Kim (Melting Alaska), the first solo exhibitions by these artists to be held at a UK institute.
EXHIBITION: SWEET LIES
CHILDREN’S ART FACTORY 2009
The exhibition runs from 25 April to 23 May 2009
Children from Genk
Artists
Sara Bomans, Sarah Corynen, Alexandra Crouwers, Greet de Gendt, Manor Grunewald, Beatrijs Lauwaert, Karin Peulen, Wim Rombouts, Arno Roncada and Nathalie Vanheule.
OPENING HOURS
Tuesday to Saturday, 2pm – 6pm
Closed on Saturday 16 May 2009
Free admission
FLACC, Casino Modern
Information: cultuurcentrum@genk.be +32 (0)89 65 38 25; flacc@skynet.be +32 (0)89 84 52 24
The CHILDREN’S ART FACTORY is organised by the Genk Cultural Centre and FLACC, with financial support from the City of Genk.
Mira Sanders in FLACC
For her workplace project Mira Sanders (b.1973; Uccle, Brussels) in turn invited two artists to set up a long-term collaboration. Her artistic practice generally departs from an astute observation of daily life. In the first instance, the workplace creates a motive for dialogue, for production and reflection. Her project is being developed both inside and outside the spaces of FLACC.
Mira’s first invitee is the architect and artist Annelies De Smet. Their collaboration began with a bicycle trip from Brussels to FLACC, under the project title: WASTELAND. The trajectory leads us through the veritable disused terrain and associated non-built and neglected areas of public space, to the meaning and the representation of that idea. The publication of a newspaper forms the first interim account of their combined journey: part real, part imaginary images and impressions of the excursion are identified, in conformance with a proportional scale that also records the element of time.
The second collaboration leads us to an event organised with the artist Nele Dekoninck, known for her ceramic works. She and Mira Sanders share a fondness for the authentic art of cooking. In the kiln studio at FLACC, Dekoninck is at this moment developing her own Middle Ages inspired tableware that will be set-out at two historic meal occasions.
A dinner will be given on 2 May at 8pm and on 3 May at 1pm, in Casino Modern. Reservations can be made via info@flacc.info. A recipe book is being published on the occasion of this event.
Participation is free of charge but the number of places is limited.
Historic Meal
Saturday 2 May at 8pm
Sunday 3 May at 1pm
FLACC, Casino Modern
New procedure for the submission of project proposals
Artists become eligible for a work period in FLACC on the basis of a submitted project proposal. Each application must include a clear description of the project being proposed, along with a work programme, résumé, and appropriate documentation. An advisory committee will determine whether a workplace project is accepted, on grounds of artistic merit. A new trimonthly procedure has been implemented for the submission of proposals. You can find the application form here: APPLICATION FORM. The next deadline for applications is 30 April 2009.
Hosted activities
During a period of one year Romain Bailly developed a number of remarkable sculptures in the workspaces at FLACC. These were realised as an analogy to his two-dimensional work, in an effort to translate his approach into the three-dimensional.
In November and December of 2008 and January of 2009 Kristof Vrancken, Ben Hansen, Romain Bailly, Silke Sarens, Esther Eggermont, Bie Flameng, Katrin Deconinck, Stefan Serneels and Annelies Swerts occupied the studios at FLACC.
Jean Bernard Koeman printed an edition of his new book Everything Beautiful is Far Away. Greet Billet worked in the digital studio on research bearing the title: ‘The evolving of the monochrome into its digital and analogue/graphic form of appearance’. David Bergé worked on the set design for a new show by Marc Vanrunxt. You can find the performance dates here.
We worked together with Franck Hendrickx and Wout Vercammen on the exhibition Hyper Neo Retro at Arte Ventuno in Brussels. Gregory Maass and Nayoungim are showing digital prints in 3 bis F Lieu d’arts contemporains in Aix-en-Provence, Bureau d’Art et de Recherche in Roubaix and Fundatia ARTeast foundation in Targu Mures, Romania.
