Laurens Mariën - Nein

What is an exhibition? How is a contemporary art exhibition defined by its structures and participants? And how fixed are these parameters? Nein is a platform that combines an artistic and curatorial practice. Rather than being about the ideas and creations of one artist, founder Laurens Mariën, it is about creating physical and conceptual spaces for other artists to show, challenge and discuss their work.

Throughout the history of art, several artists have been known to organize their own exhibitions, as a form of protest against the mainstream art at the time, as was the case for Gustave Courbet (1855); to present the exhibition as an artwork, like Marcel Duchamp with his ‘La boîte-en-valise’ (1935-41), or Marcel Broodthaers, who created his own ‘Musée d’Art Moderne’ (1968) only to later proclaim it ‘For sale due to bankruptcy’; or possibly because there were only a few or no other options of presentation (think of, for example, an artist group such as G58 organizing their own exhibitions in Antwerp, between 1958 and 1962).

Exhibitions organized and curated by artists remain a subject only rarely discussed or studied. In 2017 Mousse Magazine published a series of articles on the subject, which were subsequently published in the book ‘The Artist as Curator: An Anthology.’ The introduction to this publication highlights some of the reasons for artist-curated exhibitions being less studied: “If it is easy to see that artist-curated exhibitions can trouble our very understanding of such notions as ‘artistic autonomy,’ ‘authorship,’ ‘artwork,’ and ‘artistic oeuvre,’ what might be less evident is that they also complicate what counts as an ‘exhibition’.” (p. 8). Or in other words: “Things are slippery.” (p. 13)

In March 2016, contemporary artist Laurens Mariën, as his Master’s project at KASK, organized and curated (together with Leontien Allemeersch) a two-day exhibition, entitled ‘On Ice’. As the title suggests, this was – and still is – the first exhibition ever to take place on an ice-skating rink. 25 artists were invited to create new work, or adapt their work to this slippery location. Because of the existing program of the rink, the artists only had half an hour on the opening night to build up the exhibition. The result: all the participants finding themselves together, in the same vulnerable position (on ice skates and with a crippling deadline), making connections, and helping each other. During the opening hours, the audience was also invited onto the ice to visit the exhibition.

This project raises a lot of questions. “Where does an artwork end and its context begin?” as Elena Filipovic asks in the introduction of ‘The Artist as Curator’ (p. 13). And more elaborately: which are the autonomous artworks here? How does Laurens Mariën relate to the artists involved? Does he take up the role of an artist or of the curator? Is ‘On Ice’ an exhibition or an artwork? A performance maybe, a happening?

The answers are myriad and not clear-cut. What is certain, is that this type of artist-curated exhibition goes far beyond an autonomous artwork. As Filipovic puts it in her text: “Even if they are the product of an artist or artist collective, artist-curated exhibitions cannot be thought through the romantic idea of the artist as individual producer of immutable objects.” (p. 7) What Laurens Mariën does here, is offer an original concept, bound to a space, to fellow artists to dialogue with them and facilitate their practices, rather than his own. His position in this case is not that of an artist, but of an artist-curator. The conceptual platform Nein was born.

In the summer of 2019, Mariën participated with f.o.t.a. in the new contemporary arts festival Konvooi in Bruges, in a collaboration with Ilke Gers. This artist based in Rotterdam often works with sports and sports fields. By facilitating her project at that specific location, he co-organized three sports events: a ‘shadow tennis’ match, the ‘slowest bike race’, and a game of ‘three-sided football’ consecutively. A major player in these events, and in all of Mariën’s efforts, is the audience. His main goal is to bring people together – be it artists or others. In this project, a special interaction between artists and audience occurred. During the game of ‘shadow tennis’, the audience was encouraged to choose a side and cheer for their chosen player. What’s more intriguing, however, is that all members of the audience soon found themselves in a collective delusion, following around a tennis ball that was never there. The ‘slowest bike race’ brought together many other artists, who were participating in the arts festival with their own projects.

‘fota’ stands for ‘In Favour of the Artist’. It is a collaboration between Laurens Mariën and architect Joris Kerremans. In a very literal way, the duo rethinks spaces and platforms for art: new structures as suggestions and functioning art spaces at the same time. Their I.A.I., the ‘Immaterial Art Institute’, borrows motifs from typical institutional architecture. The small yet neoclassical and temple-like façade forms an entrance; a doorway for artists and viewers alike to question and rethink the presentation and conservation of immaterial art. It has been activated as a performance space in CC Strombeek by artists Ode de Kort, Jakob Van den Broucke and PAWS (2019).

This kind of construction just as much proposes new ways for artists to support and offer a platform to other artists. Again, with this project, Mariën questions the relevance of ‘autonomous artworks’ today. Why do we expect a work of art to be autonomous? What does that even mean, especially in a (digital) culture where ‘sharing is caring’? Why should it be strange for an artist to create, in order for other artists to create?

Nein attempts to explore possible answers to the questions above in all past, current and future projects. Its functioning and goals have probably never been clearer than in its upcoming project: A collaboration with CAMPO, Kunsthal Ghent, d e t h e a t e r m a k e r, and co-curated by Adriënne van der Werf, which is planned for February 2020. The title of the arts festival project recalls two movies: ‘Enter through the void, exit through the gift shop’. Inside CAMPO, Nein will build a resort, including spaces for exhibiting visual art, and rooms for performances, which will take place in an elaborate program during an entire weekend. Resembling a real resort, the space will include, among other things, Jacuzzi’s and a gift shop.

Kunsthal, however, will be filled with tents, created by artists and put to use as the residence of the invited performance artists. All the practical and artistic aspects approach the feel of an actual festival: not only the camping site with tents, but also the posters, the program, etc. At the same time this practical solution becomes an exhibition in its own right, curated by Nein.

Nein is not a threat to the curator’s practice, nor to the artist’s practice. It intends to merge those two fundamental positions in a way that reinforces and innovates both. “Taking that ontologically ambiguous thing we call ‘the exhibition’ as a critical medium, artists have often radically rethought conventional forms of exhibition making,” Elena Filipovic states in the abstract of her text. Nein wishes to continue on a path of innovative exhibition making, by creating a practice that is contemporary, critical and socially interactive (in the sense that it is inherently a collaborative practice, and that it actively involves the audience). Its most important aim is to facilitate art and artists’ practices; to create something in a collaborative effort and to share experiences that might reinforce each of the collaborating artists’ practice individually.

After finishing his master’s studies, he was invited as a guest professor in KASK Ghent. He took this opportunity create an interactive project with the students. Naming it ‘Do It Yourself, Together With Friends’, he encouraged and guided them to invite others to collaborate, rather than create autonomous artworks in their signature style (this would have been the more traditional expectation). He was strongly convinced that a collaborative effort could offer an enriching experience to all participants.

Laurens Mariën is also active as a musician. Using the name ‘Alien Observer’, he has previously played in the band Soldier's Heart and collaborated with performance artist Dolly Bing Bing and with theatre artist and performer Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe on several occasions. He is currently working on a score for Meirhaeghe’s new opera ‘The Sad Smile, Or the Tearing Face: A Revue’.


Tamara Beheydt
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