Salad Days #4
Salad Days refers to the days full of innocence and fun of our youth. It can also refer to the peak of one's ability. The term comes from Shakespeare's play Antony and Cleopatra, first act, scene 5, where Cleopatra says: ‘My salad days, When I was green in judgment, cold in blood, To say as I said then!’
Design Museum Ghent once again presents graduation projects by students from KASK & Conservatory and LUCA School of Arts Ghent. In DING Vitrine, you will discover a magically strange mix of a falling astronaut, a queer kinship cooking video, an emotional AI analysis of objects, a braided kanekalon curtain, a leporello with (un)fallen women, pixelated memories of Afghan refugees, a steel lamp inspired by Venetian sandwiches and an organically changing felt carpet.
Photography credits go to Anthony De Meyere
room to bloom @ eQo
Collaborative performance with Benjamin Schoones
Soft corners slow down time within the world's rapid speed. Living in passing, tensioned by knotting the curtain cords, rubbing moving fibers on an overfolding surface. Collagen and found eggshells press into a vessel that carries somatic liquid morphed into that which keeps us from sponge-free riders.
This world takes place both literally and conceptually through a co-created poem. Two entities explore the complexity of one's system, capable of producing and maintaining itself by creating its own parts. Through self-made instruments, field recordings, and performing fragmented poetry, we explore this emerging tension and open possibilities for new material kinships.
Photography credits go to Lot Scholten
MAP#158 presents loose ends: meeting, meandering, wandering
Duo exhibition with Abel Hartooni
In loose Ends: Meeting, Meandering, Wandering, artists Abel Hartooni and Natalija Gucheva delve into questions surrounding artistic creation and its connection to life’s constant flux. The glass corridor becomes a site of conversation between media such as painting, ceramics, and video, unfolding fluid narratives.
Accompanying these visual works is a collaborative video set in an imaginary landscape. Through a non-linear narrative, the protagonists recall interpersonal and personal memories to initiate a dialogue. These memories intertwine with sensory experiences, evoking a sense of nostalgia and prompting the audience to reflect on the transient nature of life.
loose Ends: Meeting, Meandering, Wandering invites viewers to navigate the tensions between process and outcome, personal and collective memory, and other spaces of hybridity. Embracing the twists and turns of artistic exploration, Hartooni and Gucheva challenge conventional notions of identity formation and the transformation of meaning, unraveling the complexity of existence and celebrating the fluid interconnectedness of life.
Text by Martina Latucca
Photography credits go to Isaac Ponseele
Destilaat #24
Group show with Anne Dijkstra, Emir Yilmaz, Anouk Vialle, Amber Hyacinth, Justin Croes, Wija de Boer, Killian Butler, Eliana Jager, and Benjamin Schoones
Boiling Point: Soft Walls & Open Hearts was developed during a residency at Extrapool, where the focus was on exploring new creative processes and engaging audiences directly. The project investigates food as more than sustenance, transforming it into a medium for emotional exchange and human connection. The exhibition space becomes a table for interaction, where recipes serve as vessels for personal stories, emotions, and shared experiences. Ceramics, candles, and sage enhance the environment, supporting a contemplative and immersive atmosphere.
Accompanying these objects is an interactive performance in which visitors are invited to sit, participate, and contribute. By enumerating feelings, memories, and stories through the language of recipes, participants become co-creators, collectively navigating vulnerability, empathy, and openness. The performance blurs the line between audience and artwork, encouraging self-reflection and dialogue.
The project invites audiences to engage with the delicate balance between intimacy and exposure, the personal and the collective. Through the interplay of culinary, performative, and ritual elements, it challenges conventional boundaries, offering a space where emotional nourishment, connection, and tranquility converge.
