Mi Amor
Mi Amor, group exhibition at Sylvester Gallery gent.
14feb - 19feb 2023
Curated by: Zeger Vetters
A valentines exhibition. On one side a functioning Shisha lounge, on the other a Love letter station.
This station consisted of an open call: ‘love letter wall’ and a writing table.
Why shisha? The idea for a shisha lounge was
initially a cozy joke. I have to admit that it also had to do with the aesthetic, the amount of swagger a person possesses while smoking and how people would find a shisha lounge exciting and cool.
But it's about more than image and hype. It's about connection. Smoking has an intimate nature. One that can connect but also isolate. But two secluded in turn generate togetherness. There the iconic line at a party, cafe and occasion still stands:
"Wanna go for a smoke outside?"
The cigarette brings people together without breaking wit individuality. Whilst a hookah brings people together and there must be shared.
So smoking is connecting. But nothing comes close to a shisha lounge. A place focused on smoking together. There is a device that produces smoke and everyone puts themselves in reach of the hose. In tha imaginary zone, space is created for talking. An anchor point fo speaking. Sucking together from the same pipe has, in addition to connecting, something inherently erotic. The ideal atmosphere for a valentine's exhibition .
Like everything always comes together, Robbe De Pestel and I started a quest for the best love letter. Titled: 'cakewalk'.
This quest made us realize that the love letter can take many more form than the written letter.
Featuring works by: Robbe de Pestel, Jan Laroy, Dora Brams, Lode De smet van Damme, Honoré D’O, Noah Heylen, Kiara Govaert, Luna Demey, Rik Van Gorp, Dieter Durinck, Shino Matsuura, Jacob Lambrecht, Mark Van Hoek, Femke Florus and many more
Performance by: Beachwave and Zoro
For this occasion I made an edition called: ‘Emergency Love Letter’ and a soundpiece: ‘Love call’
All collected letters are brought togheter in:
So smoking is connecting. But nothing comes close to a shisha lounge. A place focused on smoking together. There is a device that produces smoke and everyone puts themselves in reach of the hose. In tha imaginary zone, space is created for talking. An anchor point fo speaking. Sucking together from the same pipe has, in addition to connecting, something inherently erotic. The ideal atmosphere for a valentine's exhibition .
Like everything always comes together, Robbe De Pestel and I started a quest for the best love letter. Titled: 'cakewalk'.
This quest made us realize that the love letter can take many more form than the written letter.
Featuring works by: Robbe de Pestel, Jan Laroy, Dora Brams, Lode De smet van Damme, Honoré D’O, Noah Heylen, Kiara Govaert, Luna Demey, Rik Van Gorp, Dieter Durinck, Shino Matsuura, Jacob Lambrecht, Mark Van Hoek, Femke Florus and many more
Performance by: Beachwave and Zoro
For this occasion I made an edition called: ‘Emergency Love Letter’ and a soundpiece: ‘Love call’
All collected letters are brought togheter in:
Mi amor Love collection
Click to browse through them.
Smoking area
Love letter stage and station.
Close up of writing station with Shino Matsuura’s album
Collection of letters
Love letter by Luna Demey
Benwa playing a lovely set curious?
Love letter of Dora Brams.
Shisha prep room.
Opening night.
Love letter by Jan Laroy.
Maya Chowdhury reading her love letter.
Love letter by Rik Van Gorp.
Love Call.
Love letter by Lode De Smet Van Damme.
Love letter by Kiara Govaert.
Emergency love letter.