Triennial Kortrijk 2024: After Paradise
For the Triennial Kortrijk 2024 - the third edition of this urban tour of contemporary art in Kortrijk - curators Patrick Ronse and Hilde Teerlinck invited 21 Belgian and international artists to create contemporary art installations in 14 indoor and outdoor locations in the city center. Works by René Heyvaert, Kasper Bosmans, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Laia Estruch, Roni Horn, Jan Van Imschoot et Shirley Villavicencio Pizango, among others, encourage dialogue, reflection and action.
Like 'Play' in 2019 and 'Paradise' in 2021, this third edition of the Triennial Kortrijk features impressive and interactive installations and unexpected interventions in public space. Thus, Laia Estruch’s monumental tubular structure in the Grand-Place will leave no one indifferent.
The theme of the third Triennial is ‘After Paradise’: ‘What comes after ‘paradise’?’ In contrast to the harmony and abundance characteristic of paradise, the post-paradise confronts us with raw material shortages, social tensions and a heavily polluted environment. Although this description may seem predominantly negative, After Paradise aims to tell a positive story. Responsibility and empowerment are at the heart of this event.
Triennial Kortrijk 2024
After Paradise
29th June - 06th October 2024
Press Conference: 27th June, 10h - De Acadamie (Houtkaai 5, Kortrijk)
The participating artists
- Félix Beaudry
- Charif Benhelima
- Jordi Bernadó
- Kasper Bosmans
- Nathan Coley
- Nico Dockx, VOET architecture et Studio Zuidervaart
- Laia Estruch
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres
- René Heyvaert
- Roni Horn
- Joiri Minaya
- Małgorzata Mirga-Tas
- Vladimir Nikolić
- Erkan Özgen
- Oksana Pasaiko
- Abraham van Diepenbeeck
- Jan Van Imschoot
- Shirley Villavicencio Pizango
- Pei-Hsuan Wang
- Sarah Westphal
- Motoi Yamamoto
The Theme: After Paradise
The theme of the third Triennial is “After Paradise” : “What after ‘paradise’? In contrast to the harmony and rich abundance found in Paradise, After Paradise confronts us with resource shortages, social tensions and a highly polluted environment. Although this sounds predominantly negative, After Paradise aims rather to tell a positive story. Taking responsibility and empowerment are central to this. This is reflected in the artistic interpretation, with a focus on works that challenge dialogue, reflection and action.
When we realize that paradise has been irrevocably lost, it does not necessarily result in negative feelings such as melancholy, sadness or defeatism. One could just as easily say that it is only thanks to that awareness of a “lost paradise” that we can understand what questions and challenges really matter today. In paradise, material abundance, social harmony and natural purity were taken for granted: no thought was given to them and no one realized that they too could disappear. Only after paradise can there be responsibility and empowerment. Responsibility as in the realization that we must cherish these values, that they are not self-evident, and that man is responsible for them. Empowerment, on the other hand, is the realization that we ourselves must take action to create a livable world.
After all, a perfect world is not within reach for humans, but humans can work to make it better. We need to think together about what we want to take from the past into the future, and what not. And we realize that it is up to us to shape the future.
The concept for “After Paradise” came about through a collaboration between the curators (Hilde Teerlinck and Patrick Ronse) and Stéphane Symons (KU Leuven, Higher Institute of Philosophy).
"In collaboration with the City of Kortrijk, we are working with Be-Part on the third edition of the Triennial. The concept of this edition is more than ever linked to the global societal challenges we face today. The hope of transcending the inherent limits of these challenges is very present in 'After Paradise'."
— Patrick Ronse, Co-Curator
The 14 Locations
- Kortrijk Station — Stationsplein 8
- Baggaertshof — Sint-Jansstraat 37
- The Academy of Kortrijk / Dash — Houtmarkt 5
- Begijnhof Park — Begijnhofpark
- Chapel of the Discalced Carmelites — Grote Kring 4
- Wit.h — Jozef Vandaleplein 3
- Grote Markt — Grote Markt
- Historic City Hall— Grote Markt 54
- Broelt Tower North — Broelkaai
- Quai du Broel 6 — Broelkaai 6
- Écuries — Korte Kapucijnenstraat
- Texture Museum — Noordstraat 28
- Casino Garden— Casinoplein
- rhizome_ — Koning Albertstraat 2
The curators
- Patrick Ronse
1962, Beernem | Lives in Bruges.
Patrick Ronse is the artistic director and coordinator of Be-Part, a platform for contemporary art in Kortrijk and Waregem. He studied art history and archaeology at the University of Ghent and worked for the PMMK-Oostende (now Mu.ZEE) and the Museums of Bruges. From 1999 to 2002, he was member of the team for Bruges 2002, European Capital of Culture.
Responsible for the creation of Be-Part in 2004, Patrick Ronse remains the driving force behind the platform, which is active in Waregem and also, since 2018, in Kortrijk.
For Be-Part, he curated solo exhibitions with Navid Nuur, Rinus Van de Velde, Ria Verhaeghe, Dirk Zoete, Pieter Vermeersch, Shirley Villavicencio Pizango and Polly Apfelbaum, among others. In 2015, Ronse was co-curator of Beaufort and in 2018 and 2021 he co-curated the first two editions of the Triennial in Kortrijk ('PLAY' and 'Paradise') with Hilde Teerlinck. He was a member of the Arts Commission of the Flemish Parliament for 7 years. In 2023, he co-curated with Martina Milla the exhibition Imaginary Friends at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona. This exhibition was chosen by Time Out magazine as the best exhibition of 2023 in Barcelona.
- Hilde Teerlinck
1966, Bruges | Lives and works in Barcelona.
Hilde Teerlinck is an independent curator. She gained fame for curating exhibitions with a strong international character. In 2022, she curated the Belgian pavilion for the Venice Biennale with artist Francis Alÿs. From 1994 to 1999, Teerlinck was the artistic director of the Mies van der Rohe Pavilion in Barcelona, where she invited renowned artists such as Jeff Wall, Panamarenko, Ulrich Meister and Thomas Ruff to create site-specific interventions.
She then moved to Perpignan, France. There, she founded an art gallery, where she organized several exhibitions focusing on emerging international talent. In 2002, she became the director of the Centre rhénan d'art contemporain (CRAC Alsace) in Altkirch. From 2006 to 2014, Teerlinck was director of FRAC (Fonds régional d'art contemporain) Nord-Pas-de-Calais in Dunkirk. In 2015, she was one of the four curators of Beaufort Beyond Borders. In 2022, she held the role of curator for the Belgian pavilion at the Venice Biennale, in collaboration with artist Francis Alÿs. She currently works as Managing Director for the Han Nefkens Foundation in Barcelona.
Images
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