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Curated by Philippe Van Cauteren and Mirjam Varadinis
TRACK
is a unique art experience in the public and semi public space of the city
of Ghent. It offers surprising, enriching, and unexpected encounters with
the city, its history, and its inhabitants and incites to reflect upon
urban realities and the contemporary human condition in a broader sense.
Thirty five international artists were invited to conceive new art works
that are strongly rooted in the urban fabric of Ghent but link the local
context with issues of global significance.
The two curators
Philippe Van Cauteren and Mirjam Varadinis took the time to select
exemplary locations in the wider city centre of Ghent and invited artists
who have an affinity with the thematical context of those places. The
selected artists used the local reality as a fertile source of inspiration
and the results of their in-depth explorations are not simply traditional
works of art, but artistic projects in all different media that embrace the
social, economic, cultural, and political conditions of the city and the
times we live in. Their works call for participation, interact with the
different communities in various ways, and leave permanent traces.
TRACK is conceived as a universe of parallel narrations, occurences and
(hi)stories. It consists of six clusters that offer a historical, cultural,
architectural, and mental cross-section of Ghent and the idea of a city
today. Each cluster has its own distinct atmosphere and touches upon a
specific issue like mobility, religion, migration, economy, language,
science, and city changes.
TRACK invites the audience to explore
the exhibition in various ways. Visitors do not have to follow a given
linear trail but are free to choose their own personal TRACK through the
clusters and the city. Each visitor thus creates a different kind of
narration, based on his or her background and the way they are approaching
the exhibition. This free and multi-layered perception corresponds to our
globalised world and the idea of plural realities happening at the same
time.
TRACK is welcoming everybody to visit the exhibition and
to be inspired by the visionary potential of art.
TRACK was
initiated by S.M.A.K. It continues the tradition established by the
large-scale exhibition projects Chambres d'Amis (1986) and Over
the Edges (2000), which installed contemporary art in the context of
the city and entered into direct dialogue with the public.
Participating artists
Adelita Husni-Bey, Ahmet
Öğüt, Alexandra Bachzetsis, Alon Levin, Bart Lodewijks, Benjamin
Verdonck, Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller, Christoph Büchel,
Cyprien Gaillard, Danh Vo, Emilio Lopez-Menchero, Erik van Lieshout, Erwan
Mahéo, Javier Téllez, John Bock, Lara Almarcegui, Lawrence
Weiner, Leo Copers, Lonnie van Brummelen & Siebren de Haan, Mark
Manders, Massimo Bartolini, Mekhitar Garabedian, Michaël Borremans,
Michaël Elmgreen & Ingar Dragset, Mike Bouchet, Mircea Cantor,
Pascale Marthine Tayou, Pawel Althamer, Peter Buggenhout, Peter Fischli
& David Weiss, Pilvi Takala, Simona Denicolai & Ivo Provoost,
Superflex, Susanne Kriemann, Sven Augustijnen, Tadashi Kawamata, Tazu Rous,
Tercerunquinto, Teresa Margolles, Tobias Putrih, Yorgos Sapountzis
Read the TRACK Manifesto at www.track.be.
Media relations
Ms. Els Wuyts
T +32 92 240
76 47
els@smak.be
*Image above:
Ahmet Öğüt, The Castle of
Vooruit, 2012. Copyright S.M.A.K.
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