Kunstinstituut Melly

Untitled

06 May - 02 Sep 2018

OHRHUT, courtesy Angie Keefer
UNTITLED
6 May – 2 September 2018

Jef Geys, Federico Herrero, Angie Keefer, Manuel Raeder

At Untitled, curatorial and educational goals are intertwined. With art installations and events, as well as a bookstore and an initiative dedicated to collective learning, this long-term project in our now freely accessible ground floor gallery will continuously evolve. The project is designed as a Matryoshka doll, where one work holds another work, which holds another work and so forth. To offer this multi-layered experience, Untitled uses a variety of display mechanisms and presentation formats. Each of these involve different exhibition time-periods, and engage with different attention spans in terms of how they’re experienced.

With this in mind, the furnishings in Untitled are by interdisciplinary design studio Muebles Manuel, founded by graphic designer Manuel Raeder (Germany and Mexico). The furniture is placed within a room-size painting, Open Envelope, commissioned to Federico Herrero (Costa Rica). Featured as part of the furniture are two vitrine cases, each of them presenting a project every exhibition season. For its opening season, running through the summer, one display contains OHRHUT by Angie Keefer (USA), a tablet and smartphone signal-blocking case created by the artist in response to the relentless invasion of our privacy by data-mining companies. Another display is At home with Jef Geys, the first in a series of archival displays drawing from Witte de With’s exhibition history, that centers on the work of Belgian artist Jef Geys (1934-2018).

For its part, the books on the shelves within Untitled will include a handful of new titles per month, a slowly growing selection based on themes and processes inspired by the artworks and projects showcased at the galleries. Additionally, the bookstore features publications by Witte de With, as well as publications selected by TENT and CBK Rotterdam.
In the dedicated social area of Untitled, a series of events and public programs will take place on a regular basis, especially on weekends. A number of programs for the coming months are already scheduled; please check the Calendar for event listings.

Not just a gallery or classroom, not fully a bookstore or café, Untitled is designed to be spatially ambiguous and to be structured as an occasion and site for collective learning. Kicking-off in the Fall 2018, this initiative involves a work-study fellowship program for Rotterdam youth. It includes courses ranging from art history to hospitality to business, and entails a hiring program that sees them collectively running the program and operations of Untitled with the Witte de With team.

Curators: Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Samuel Saelemakers
 

Tags: Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy, Jef Geys, Federico Herrero, Angie Keefer, Manuel Raeder, Samuel Saelemakers