The exhibition COMBAT is perhaps the largest of Koen Vanmechelen’s battles so far. Not only does he tackle the difficult spaces of Landcommanderij Alden Biesen and their official history; COMBAT is also the arena for the collision between old and new works of Koen Vanmechelen. Where visible and invisible layers of meaning, knowledge and unpredictable forms and different possibilities of beauty challenge each other. COMBAT breaks through the great and well-known framework that bears the name: The Cosmopolitan Chicken Project. In light of this COMBAT also displays the struggle of the artist with his own artistic identity. It is a crossing in the oeuvre of Vanmechelen and his perpetual bio-cultural experiment. COMBAT is a rapture. The exhibition will be on display at two locations: the main location is at the Landcommanderij of Alden Biesen, and the second location is at the art gallery De Mijlpaal in Heusden-Zolder. Especially for COMBAT, the artist will give guided tours and a lecture about his work on site. Visit www.combat-koenvanmechelen.com for complete details or check out our agenda.
Practical information: From October 7 till December 16, 2012,
Landcommanderij Alden Biesen, Kasteelstraat 6,?B-3740 Bilzen, Belgium
The book
This catalogue is published parallel to the exhibitions with the same title shown until mid-December in the old setting of the Landcommanderij Alden Biesen in Bilzen, Belgium and in the art gallery De Mijlpaal in Heusden-Zolder (Belgium). This very well laid out book begins with an opening text by Jan Moeyaerts, Intendant vzw art, which is the speech Moeyaerts gave at the opening of the exposition describing Vanmechelen's work and his fight and search for our identity. In Dutch and English he explains his works after the opening speech by Groin K, Director of Alden Biesen. Later, Adriano Berengo also describes well how the work raises questions around a number of fundamental, existential issues at the intersection between art and science. Lut Maris as curator of De Mijlpaal explains the theme “time” between past and present, then and now, after which there is a short historic description of the site of the commanderij. The book is classified according to the different locations where the work was presented and where all the work was photographed in situ. The beautiful pictures give a good understanding of various works and installations with all the details, also of the spaces and the concept for this exhibition written by Vanmechelen.
With 200 pages, ISBN: 9789081240802, this excellent, monumental book is for sale at the Landcommanderij Alden Biesen. More information: pat.vincent@cjsm.vlaanderen.be or +32 (0)89-519351.
More information: www.combat-koenvanmechelen.com, www.demijlpaal.com
www.alden-biesen.be
