The Tegenlicht (Backlight) exhibition is the final stage in many years of cooperation between the literary magazine DW B and the Cera.
The project is intended, by enabling artists and writers to collaborate intensively, to bring about an exciting interaction between art and literature.
Six 'factories' In the first part of the project, which was launched in 2001, twenty-three artists joined up with poets and writers under the supervision of the curator Luk Lambrecht. The results of these crossovers were included as special supplements in DW B, and the design by Luc Derycke blurred the boundaries between the contributions of the author, artist and designer. In 2005 these supplements were published together under the title De XXIII. This sort of crossover is not without risk, however. Luk Lambrecht warns against “the danger of illustration or the trivialisation of art and literature by adding commentary.” The editor of DW B, Hugo Bousset, wonders whether “the slow language that obliges one to make an effort is ever any match for the striking power of the image.” In an attempt to enable the interplay between art and literature to transcend these ‘dangers’, in 2007 DW B and Cera set up the multimedia Tegenlicht platform. In each of six successive ‘factories’, a young artist and a writer confronted a work from the Cera collection by a renowned artist. The writer wrote his report and as a subjective observer automatically fictionalised it. This was his creative response to the work of the artists. These ‘factories’ resulted in articles in DW B magazine, but at the same time they were given a parallel existence on the website, with a report of the working process, plus moving images, video and voice-over. Apart from these paper and virtual identities, each ‘factory’ also included a live presentation. Factory #1(DW B, 2007, 3): Philippe Van Snick, Pieter Vermeersch, Saskia de Coster Factory #2(DW B, 2007, 5-6): Jacques Charlier, Sven Augustijnen, Koen Peeters Factory #3 (DW B, 2008, 2): Honoré d’O, Sylvie Macias Diaz, Elma van Haren Factory #4 (DW B, 2008, 5-6): Narcisse Tordoir, Koenraad Dedobbeleer, Peter Holvoet-Hansen Factory #5 (DW B, 2009, 3): Ann Veronica Janssens, Nico Dockx, Erik Spinoy Factory #6 (DW B, 2009, 5-6): Jacques Lizène, Gert Robijns, Peter Verhelst The Table.
Now the ‘factory’ series has been completed, the eighteen artists and writers who took part are gathering at the S.M.A.K. In Tegenlicht, the curators Luc Derycke and Thomas Caron are bringing the art and literature together in a museum setting. This exhibition once again radically alters the relations between the works and, following the printed matter, the website and the happenings, is the fourth and final part of the project. The concept of the exhibition revolves round the working surface that artists and writers share: the table. Works of art from the collections of Cera and S.M.A.K. are combined with new work produced specially for this exhibition by seven artists and six writers. Tegenlicht includes works by Jacques Charlier, Honoré d’O, Jacques Lizène, Narcisse Tordoir and Philippe Van Snick and written contributions by Sven Augustijnen, Saskia de Coster, Koenraad Dedobbeleer, & & , Peter Holvoet-Hanssen, Sylvie Macias Diaz, Koen Peeters, Gert Robijns, Erik Spinoy, Elma Van Haren, Peter Verhelst and Pieter Vermeersch.
On the opening night 10.09.2010, Factory Radio will be broadcast live from the S.M.A.K. Saskia de Coster and Building Transmissions will welcome guests from the literary, art and music scenes.
A project by DW B, Cera en S.M.A.K. Tegenlicht DW B
