Urgent Conversations: Athens – Antwerp

    ENELNL

    The exhibitions Urgent Conversations: Athens–Antwerp and Urgent Conversations: Antwerp – Athens are a collaboration between EMST and M HKA, a theoretical and visual dialogue, based on works from the collections of both museums, which includes more than 70 works structured in 22 topics.   

    28.04.2017 - 07.01.2018        

    M HKA, Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen - Leuvenstraat 32, 2000 Antwerpen

    EMST, National Museum of Contemporary Art - Kallirrois Avenue & Amvr. Frantzi Str., Athens 11743

    Jan Fabre

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    (c)photo: Lieven Herreman, Courtesy of Angelos bvba
    Long Street of Images - Jan Fabre Street, 1977
    Jan Fabre
    Performance , 00:50:00

    Antwerp, Lange Beeldekensstraat

    When he is nineteen years old Jan Fabre removes a street sign from the street where he grew up. He puts up a new sign, ‘Jan Fabrestraat’ (Jan Fabrestreet), making a name for himself in the history of the neighbourhood that means so much to him as a young man. 

    'Looking back on what I was doing as a young artist, I feel I was trying to engrave myself in the tradition, wanting to be part of history and maybe trying to get myself famous. (Chuckles.) I for example changed the street name of the street where I was living. The ‘Lange Beeldekensstraat’ was an old Flemish word for ‘Long Street of Images’ I took the street sign away and I made it Jan Fabrestraat (1977, No. 4). For example another action that I did in the same street was hanging over the sign of the Van Gogh house my own copper sign with the text ‘Here lives and works Jan Fabre’. Van Gogh had lived in Antwerp and was a student at the Royal Academy.' (source: Celant, G. Jan Fabre. Stigmata. Action & Performances 1976-2013. Skira, 2014, p.166)

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