An Exhibition Another Exhibition

With texts by Ann Demeester, Anselm Franke, and Valérie Mannaerts

An Exhibition—Another Exhibition is the first monograph of the work of Belgian artist Valérie Mannaerts. The book catalogues two solo exhibitions that took place in 2010—“Blood Flow” at Extra City Kunsthal Antwerpen, and “Diamond Dancer” at de Appel arts centre.

Dynamically collaging across mediums—from paint to bronze, papier-mâché to concrete—Mannaerts playfully arranges sculptural elements to create spatial installations, scenographies without stages. As scales oscillate and materials remain staunchly mercurial, the works exist in a space of deliberate ambiguity, sitting on the threshold between object and image. For the two exhibitions, Mannaerts manipulated the gallery spaces through the idiosyncratic positioning of diverse spatial objects, creating fields of tension and obscurity, surreal situations that asked viewers to decode the objects staring back at them.

The monograph includes an essay by Anselm Franke, a conversation between the artist and Ann Demeester, and images and illustrations of the two exhibitions.

Co-published with de Appel arts centre and Extra City Kunsthal Antwerpen
Design by Saskia Gevaert

2011