Op 11 mei opent in BAC ART LAB KU Leuven de tentoonstelling Atlas of Proposals. Statues rivisited. Ze toont werk uit de ontweprstudio Atlas of Proposals van Gijs Van Vaerenbergh.
In the education lab Atlas of Proposals, Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, artists-in-residence at BAC ART LAB, are working with some twenty architecture students on a current theme. This academic year, the studio is investigating the existing heritage of statues and works of art in the public space of Leuven.
Statues are often portraits of people or representations of events that play an important role in the city's history. This 'public historiography', however, is often a one-sided version of the story. Today, statues are often static artifacts that are at odds with the ambiguous, hybrid, or fluid character of the city's history. Moreover, they often have a stuffy image, while their subjects commonly testify to bygone glory or are simply outdated. Also, they have become so familiar in the cityscape and the surrounding public space, that no one really notices them anymore and that their impact has become negligible.
Today, the design studio for the first time systematically maps the statues of Leuven and develops interventions and transformations to critically question their contemporary significance. Together, the proposals form a fictitious art route in the city, aimed at stimulating a broader reflection on art and public space and forming a source of inspiration for the Leuven city policy.
The results of this academic year will be presented in an exhibition in BAC ART LAB. The opening of this exhibition will take place on Thursday 11 May at 7 pm with a guided tour and a panel discussion.
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