Plaatsen en niet-plaatsen [Places and non-places]

Ensemble

Throughout is oeuvre, Jan Vercruysse is looking for a place where art and the artist can be meaningful. This quest translates to an attempt at defining places or spaces where art could potentially enter. Vercruysse's works literally form locations for art - and consequently for the artist as well. In Room (III) and Atopies (VIII), this place is defined negatively. These works do not allow for them to be entered in any way by the viewer. In this sense, they are 'non-places' rather than 'places', without content or meaning, and therefore open for reflection. In the later series of Places, Vercruysse works in the opposite way. The Places contain and support meanings, memories and things that have happened. These works confirm the possibility for the existence of a real place; in fact, they themselves form the foundation of a place, the work of art.

About M HKA / Mission Statement

The M HKA is a museum for contemporary art, film and visual culture in its widest sense. It is an open place of encounter for art, artists and the public. The M HKA aspires to play a leading role in Flanders and to extend its international profile by building upon Antwerp's avant-garde tradition. The M HKA bridges the relationship between artistic questions and wider societal issues, between the international and the regional, artists and public, tradition and innovation, reflection and presentation. Central here is the museum's collection with its ongoing acquisitions, as well as related areas of management and research.

About M HKA Ensembles

The M HKA Ensembles represent our first steps towards initiating the public to today's art-related digital landscape. With the help of these new media, our aim is to offer our artworks a better and fuller array of support for their presentation and public understanding.