PRESENTATION: Bye Bye His-Story, Chapter 5050

History is generally defined with the apparition of writing; this valuable instrument allowing to create and transfer culture. However, writing also implies the beginning of a logic of separations and boundaries: its origin goes along in the first place with the need to record the heritage transmission of a patriarchal agrarian society. From this perspective, writing thus seems closely related to the concept of property.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Centre de la Gravure Archive

Far from being a literal illustration of these concepts, the exhibition “Bye Bye His-Story, chapter 5050” brings together the artworks of nearly 60 artists. With a touch of humour and the necessary aesthetic distance, you are being invited to surprising confrontations between artworks dealing with (and questioning) various issues such as our relationship to the economy and the dogma of growth, gender relations and diversity, our relationship to nature and technology. The exhibition’s original title is in English, a language which allows to play with the vocable and concept of history, on the line of an indirect reference to the feminist concept of herstory. History is generally defined with the apparition of writing, this seminal instrument to the development of civilizations which has allowed humanity to create and transmit knowledge, science, art and culture. However, the apparition of writing has also implied the beginning of a logic of separations and boundaries: its origin went along in the first place with the need to record the heritage transmission of a patriarchal agrarian society. From this perspective, writing thus seems closely related to the concept of ‘property.’ Together with property, writing, as the first instrument to appropriate and objectify nature, living beings and genders, was at the root of what would—throughout history precisely—lead to conflicts, wars and confrontations between cultures, mythologies, religions and ideologies. The tensions in our contemporary world and its many crises (related to climate, ideologies, energy, culture and migrations) urge us to adopt an open attitude, to dispel prejudices, to reconnect and build bridges between individuals, genders, cultures and nations to share knowledge, mental and cultural approaches as well as scientific disciplines, in order to find solutions together. Far from being a literal illustration of these concepts, this exhibition brings together, in a similar spirit of decompartmentalization, the artworks of some 61 artists: historical and internationally recognized figures alongside emerging artists, as well as six artists who recently graduated from art schools. Expanding from traditional bi-dimensional approaches, the exhibition is also the occasion to offer a wide and varied panorama of the ways, techniques and supports through which contemporary artists currently apprehend the concepts of printed matter and multiplicity in their creative process and in the development of their art works. With a touch of humor and the necessary aesthetic distance, the visitors are being invited into the exhibition parcours to experience surprising confrontations with art works dealing with (and questioning) various issues such as our relationship to the economy and to the dogma of growth, gender relations and diversity, or our relationship to nature and to technology.

Participating Artists: Xavier Antin, Apparatus 22, Jacques André, Shuzo Azuchi Gulliver, Babi Badalov, Charlotte Beaudry, Léa Belooussovitch, Aline Bouvy, Lucia Bru, Basile Bruneau, Marc Buchy, Stefano Calligaro, Mirko Canesi, Aleksandra Chaushova, Michiel Ceulers, Thomas Couderc, Michael Dans, Denicolai & Provoost, Émeline Depas, Lise Duclaux, Alexis Étienne, Serena Fineschi, Kendell Geers, Laetitia Gendre, Agnès Geoffray, Valérian Goalec, Mathias Greenhalgh, Olivia Hernaïz Eleni Kamma, Anouk Kruithof, François De Jonge & Sukrii Kural, Nicolás Lamas, Hanne Lippard, David Maljković, Katja Mater, Fabien Mathieu, Gérard Meurant, Wesley Meuris, Adrien Meurrens, Marianne Mispelaëre, Marlie Mul, Jean Pierre Muller, Serge Onnen, Odilon Pain, Niels Poiz, Emmanuelle Quertain, Roger Remacle, Francesc Ruiz, Matthieu Saladin, Vittorio Santoro, Teresa Sdralevich, Clara Thomine, Endre Tót, Elliot Túpac, Nora Turato, Chloé Van Oost, Daniel van Straalen, Luca Vanello, Végétamère, Oriol Vilanova, Lois Weinberger.

Photo: Bye Bye His-Story, Chapter 5050, exhibition view, Centre de la Gravure- La Louvière, 2021, Courtesy the artists and Centre de la Gravure

Info: Centre de la Gravure, 10 rue des Amours, La Louvière, Belgium, Duration: 27/3-26/9/2021, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, www.centredelagravure.be