Artefact Expo/Festival 2020 : Alone Together

Opening: February 13, 7:30pm
Curator: Karen Verschooren 

On February 13, STUK launches Alone Together, the new edition of Artefact festival. Contemporary art, current events and societal challenges meet in a versatile exhibition, surprising concerts, in-depth lectures, films and workshops. 

“There are so many things that art can’t do. It can’t bring the dead back to life, it can’t mend arguments between friends, or cure AIDS, or halt the pace of climate change. All the same, it does have some extraordinary functions, some odd negotiating ability between people, including people who never meet and yet who infiltrate and enrich each other’s lives. It does have a capacity to create intimacy; it does have a way of healing wounds, and better yet of making it apparent that not all wounds need healing and not all scars are ugly.”
-Olivia Laing. (2016) The lonely city. Adventures in the art of being alone, p.280

Alone Together brings together ideas of solitude and togetherness in contemporary society. The exhibition asks questions such as: What does contemporary solitude mean? How does it relate to feelings of loneliness? Can we consider loneliness not in individual terms, but as the result of more structural forces be they social, cultural, economic, technological or architectural in nature? How do we connect in today’s society? What is the quality of our connections and interactions, and which role do (social and communication) technologies play in this?

The exhibition features existing and new works by 23 artists and collectives which reveal untold stories and offer new perspectives on this prevalent and familiar, yet complex subject matter. Inspired by the theme, musicians from the Artefact Sound program such as Jenny Hval and Casual Gabberz put emphasis on the connecting force of music exploring ideas of collective joy and radical happiness, while others like King Midas Sound, Hantrax or Mette Rasmussen & Drone Operatør, through their music, meditate on a state of loneliness or the inability to communicate. 

Together, the artists of Alone Together invite you to explore all shades of solitude and togetherness. While potentially confronting, the exhibition and festival might offer at the same time recognition, solace and hope. For the lonely ones are a hundred million strong. 

Expo
Helmut Stallaerts / Chloé Op de Beeck / Ante Timmermans / Meiro Koizumi / Hanne Lippard / Molly Soda / Annette Messager / Tino Sehgal / Kyoko Scholiers / Liana Finck / Lauren McCarthy / Kyle McDonald / Karolina Halatek / Atsushi Watanabe / Daria Martin / Cécile B. Evans / Mehtap Baydu / Pilvi Takala / Ephameron / Hans Geyens / Ief Spincemaille / Bisser / Siemen Van Gaubergen

Artefact Sound
Ben Bertrand / Casual Gabberz / Céline Gillain / De zwarte zusters / Eartheater / Hantrax plays Paroxysm / Jenny Hval / King Midas Sound / Maria W. Horn / Mette Rasmussen & Drone Operatør / Mika Oki / Phillip Jondo / Rumours / Slagwerk DJ’s    

Talks, Performance, workshop

Chloé Op de Beeck / Bert Puype / Luc Goossens / Marlies Maes / Roel Goyens / ArtForum: Anneleen Winten, Denis Mensah & Elisabeth Claes / Fonk: Koen Monserez & Jonas Cantoro / Cie Tartaren: Leen van Nunen & Wim Oris

Expo guide / Publication to download from www.artefact-festival.be from February 13, 2020