Gates (might) open soon
Carlotta Bailly-Borg, Elen Braga, Che Go Eun, Laura Puska, Robert Soroko, Anya Tsyrlina & Sid Iandovka, Philippe Vandenberg, Sophie Varin, Bert Villa.
Gates (might) open soon explores the socio-cultural phenomenon of the festival and its various manifestations. Traditionally understood as celebrations that include rituals and ceremonies, festivals also question social hierarchies and produce ephemeral communities based on sharing. Offering both escapism and liberation, festivals open the gates to a flow of emotions, revealing the sensual, spontaneous, and even darker sides of human nature.
The exhibition unfolds at KANAL-Centre Pompidou, the showroom area of the former Citroën garage. Reflecting on festivals that remain inaccessible to the public and referring to a constant state of suspension, the venue remains closed while using the windows as the mediator for this exhibition. These windows transform the exhibition space into an open, yet enclosed public space, turning every passer-by into a voyeur of sorts. The feeling of anticipation created by the eight-days window presentation will find its release with the opening of the ‘gates’ on the last day of the exhibition. Revealing the artworks in their complexity and providing a space for shared experience, the finissage of the exhibition thus becomes a moment of gathering and celebration for the visitors, participating artists and curators.
Gates (might) open soon is curated by the graduates of Curatorial Studies at KASK & Conservatorium: Marion Adrian, Sungyoon Ahn, Sophia Attigui, Margot Bossy, Sofie Frederix, Martina Matarazzo, Nathan Pramudiya Ishar, Ekaterina Vorontsova, Yimeng Wang, Julie Wyckaert.
Curatorial Studies is a postgraduate programme at KASK & Conservatorium / School of Arts Gent in collaboration with Ghent University and the Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art, Ghent (S.M.A.K.).
