Shalom Aleikoum. Peace be with you

For this exhibition, I was inspired by the building in which Kordekor’s activities are centralised. The outer shell is sleek, efficient, mathematical and executed in concrete. Once inside, an atmosphere of elegance opens up where tactility, softness, lightness and harmony sweep away the rush of the adjoining motorway. The central space upstairs exudes a connecting energy through the organic lines in the walls, the lighting, the carpet and the circular island. This invites the senses and nervous system to relax and focus. The overview of samples shows a range of nuances and possibilities to bring natural and human beauty into the world through selection and creativity.

For this occasion, artworks from Tanguy & Bieke Van Quickenborne’s private art collection will be brought into Kordekor’s meeting place.
Respecting the uniqueness of the place, I made a selection from the collection in which themes such as people, affective emotions, (de/re)construction, composition and abstraction alternate in idiosyncratic aesthetic expression.

The exhibition starts with the work Shalom Aleikoum by Younes Baba-Ali. The title includes a fusion of an Arabic and Hebrew pronunciation that serve as a greeting. This calligraphic scripture is both text and image. Translated into Dutch, they carry the message ‘peace be with’. The reference to a doormat raises some confusion about the status of this artwork, as we are all familiar with the common doormats that articulate ‘welcome’. As an object, this work emphasises the transition from a semi-public to a semi-private space. It is the attentive and curious viewer who discovers when an artwork is integrated and takes its place in a space.

Tanguy & Bieke Van Quickenborne’s collection contains a lot of unconventional, fresh, sometimes slightly provocative and also humorous artworks. The way an artist approaches a material or theme can open up broadening insights and perspectives. Therefore, work has also been selected that can challenge reflection and dialogue. Often it is precisely what we cannot quite put into words or explain with our reasoning that fills us with enthusiasm and wonder. Everything is constantly changing, including our perception.

-Benedicte Goesaert, curator

The programme will bring together a selection of artists including:
Afra Al Dhaheri, Richard Aldrich, Maximilian Arnold, Younes Baba-Ali, John Baldessari, Ida Barbarigo, Marianne Berenhaut, Aaron Bobrow, Chen Ching-Yuan, Willem Cole, Stijn Cole, Bram Demunter, Nana Dix, Rein Dufait, Anneke Eussen, Indrikis Gelzis, Georgina Gratrix, Giorgio Griffa, Stanislas Lahaut, Nicolás Lamas, Bernd Lohaus, Paulo Monteiro, Charlotte Posenenske, Przemek Pyszczek, Marina Rheingantz, Fabrice Samyn, Ben Van den Berghe & Alexey Shlyk, Sybren Vanoverberghe, Thu Van Tran, Pieter Vermeersch, Oxiea Villamonte, Sophie Von Hellermann, Leon Vranken

Opening Tuesday 19.09.23
Visits by appointments
Until Thursday 19.10.23

Location
Showroom Kordekor
Evolis 76,
8500 Kortrijk (BE)

Read more about Stijn Cole