This weekend we drove direction Gent, to visit S.M.A.K., Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens & Hoet Bekaert Gallery. In S.M.A.K., the 2 main solo shows, namely Jorge Macchi's "Music Stands Still" and Michael Sailstorfer's "Raum und Zeit" were simply amazing.
We loved the simple, minimal approach of Jorge Macchi from Argentina who manages to stir maximum of emotions with very little resources. The exhibition leads the viewer through several intuitive "atmospheres", such as music, light, shadow, openness, stillness or emptiness, with a surprise waiting in every room. Whether it was an installation (often using the most common objects), watercolor or video, each work revealed plenty of humor and poetry and it was a pure joy to experience them. See some images we took on our Flickr.
The second show by the German sculptor Michael Sailstorfer consisted of installations, photos, videos and sculptures he made during the last ten years. One of our favorites was "Zeit ist keine Autobahn" (2005-10), installation of several versions of the same piece, assembled for the first time in a single room together:
Five car tyres revolve slowly against the wall and are gradually worn down. The tyres make a quiet rubbing sound and fill the room with the smell of burnt rubber. The series can be seen as a metaphor for the ever-increasing need for our society to speed up – an acceleration that can only lead to self-destruction. (excerpt from the press release)
The title of the exhibition, "Raum und Zeit" (Time and Space), refers to two elements that shape our reality: time and space. Sailstorfer tries to influence these elements by making active use of the senses, transforming light, smell and sound into workable, plastic materials. Once again - great stuff!
Macchi stays on display till mid September, Sailstorfer closes beginning of July. If u're living in, or visiting, Belgium, you really shouldn't miss these.
(also in S.M.A.K.: "Joy and Disaster", works of eight contemporary Hungarian artists & Agua Caliente by Carlos Rodríguez-Méndez)