BRUSSELS.- The sixth edition of
POPPOSITIONS, taking place at ING Art Center from 20 to 23 April, will gather 21 selected galleries, project spaces and artist initiatives and a discursive program of talks, discussions and lectures.
The 2017 edition is hosted at Hotel Coudenberg (ING Art Center). The building is located right at the heart of Brussels’ museums quarter on Place Royale, opposite from Royal Fine Art Museum, Magritte Museum and BOZAR, at a walking distance from the Sablon neighbourhood. As a commentary on the nature of the site, POPPOSITIONS is not looking to erect additional walls, but rather go beyond the esthetic of the white booth and respond to that what is given, to make an integral presentation in which matters coalesce and diverge. How can we punch a hole in the echo chamber of contemporary art? Bypass the continuous reaffirmation of the neoliberal logic that governs the art market?
Conceived as an experiment with the art fair format, POPPOSITIONS annually aims to prompt and trigger experimental and innovative approaches to the art market. It takes the shape of a curated exhibition and an ongoing critical dialogue as to collectively emphasize matters of shared concern, rather than business as usual.
In that, POPPOSITIONS strongly believes in a collaborative and responsive approach, by being quick on its feet and working together with those initiatives, artists, curators and collectors that jointly pursue to rise to the occasion and grapple with the complexity of our current social and political climate. It attracts wide support from the art sector and serves as an inspirational format for new alternative art fairs throughout Europe.
Having been established in 2011 as a counterpoint to mainstream art fairs, POPPOSITIONS has previously addressed questions of artistic agency, self-organisation, cynicism and criticality in order to shape its profile within the cultural and economic landscape. With the 2017 leitmotiv Don’t Agonize, Organize! inspired by philosopher Rosi Braidotti, the forthcoming edition of POPPOSITIONS seeks to respond to the political turmoil we are currently experiencing on a geopolitical scale. We believe that art needs to be more political than ever. Not as a genre, but as a field that must extend and apply itself without invitation, to trigger responses where none have been called for, and to confront what we take for granted.
To further amplify and shape its programmatic focus, Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk (The Office for Curating, NL) has been appointed as the artistic director of this year’s edition. This year’s jury consisted of artist Kasper Bosmans, artist and curator Jo-ey Tang and curator Elise Lammer, with the support of curator Niekolaas Johannes Lekkerkerk. With the leitmotiv as a leading principle, the jury has sought for proposals that steer and reinvent the political imagination by proposing diverse forms of political opposition that are rich in alternatives, concrete in propositions, and delivered through everyday projects. On this premise, the jury has selected the following 21 project spaces, artist initiatives and galleries that re-envision what it means to be grounded, accountable and active as part of a community with shared hopes and aspirations:
