15.2.23

THE SEDUCTION OF THE BUREAUCRAT, Mechelen

 

>>THE SEDUCTION OF THE BUREAUCRAT<< 
15/03/2023 - 04/06/2023 (vernissage 12/3)

O.J.A.I. is delighted to be participating in this exhibition and series of public conversations about the relationship between art and bureaucracy- a curatorial initiative of Pieter Vermeulen.. The artist and the civil servant are far apart, each in their own biotope: the studio and the office. Creativity generally does not conform to forms, procedures and protocols. Yet artists inevitably come into contact with bureaucracy. How do they look at it and how do they deal with it in their work? Do kafkaesque situations still play out in shadowy backrooms and dusty archives, or does today's office space look different? What role does digital infrastructure play? What does Bartleby's famous words “I would prefer not to” mean within a contemporary work ethic of quiet quitting, bore- and burn-out? Does creativity still make sense in a country where even bookkeeping is creative? Is it up to the artist to seduce the bureaucrat, or is it difficult for the bureaucrat to resist the bureaucratic temptation? 

With Apparatus 22, Jan Banning, Deborah Bowmann, AA Bronson, Tiago Duarte, Anna Bella Geiger, Sarah Hendrickx, LAb[au], Ariane Loze, Wesley Meuris, Office for Joint Administrative Intelligence, Vijai Patchineelam, Lieven Segers, Pilvi Takala, Axel van der Kraan, Herman Van Ingelgem, Philippe Van Wolputte and Vermeir & Heiremans.


De Garage                                    Opening reception
Onder-Den-Toren 12                    12 March
B-2800 Mechelen
Belgium

Image: postcard correspondence (2023)