DEURLE, BELGIUM.- MDD - Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens presents "Richard Venlet MDDGRID," on view through February 29, 2004. Richard Venlet uses structures and forms like architecture, attitudes or institutions as a referential point in the development of certain operation, works or installations. Most of the time this brings forth abstract spatial works that manifest themselves as autonomous and without compromise. The original cause is often architectural and difficult to trace; the operation tends to eliminate itself to make room for supplementary layers and broadening completions. (…) Venlet reinterprets reality by shifting given contexts both formally and mentally.

With MDDGRID Venlet proposes a spatial constellation that connects the different spaces of the museum. The underlying grid of the building acts as a starting point, but MDDGRID makes itself completely independent and lays claim on descriptions as catwalk, scaffold, infiltrator, carrier and sculpture.

For this occasion an installation is remade which Venlet first realised in MDD in 1990 and that is part of their collection. It is for Venlet an important referential point within his oeuvre. By presenting this work and MDDGRID at the same time he both takes the condition of the museum and his own work as a reference.

In the summer of 1973 a strange and also quite controversial exhibition took place in one of the rooms of MDD. ‘Deurle 11/7/73’ was organised by Fernand Spillemaeckers of gallery MTL on the occasion of a congress in Brussels on art and its cultural context. Important artists like Carl André, Art & Language, Marcel Broodthaers, Daniël Buren, Cadere, Hans Haacke, Sol LeWitt, Niele Toroni and Lawrence Wiener took part in this congres.

The exhibition in Deurle existed of showing documents on and from some of these artists as well as a ‘Barre de bois rond’ of André Cadere. It was accompanied by a small catalogue.

During the past year several people brought my attention to this show of which there was no trace to be found in the archives of MDD. Since the exhibition played a crucial part and because of the lack in our archives, I found it important to set up this presentation that tries to capture what could be seen and experienced at the time. It also wants to be a starting point for a further investigation into the activities of MTL.