Prelude: Melancholy of the Future at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens

Artists: Ida Barbarigo, Meriem Bennani, Pierre Bismuth, Katinka Bock, Manon de Boer, Lucia Bru, Michael Dean, Edith Dekyndt, Kasper De Vos, Lieve D’hondt, David Douard, Jeronimo Elespe, Luca Frei, Ryan Gander, Anna Bella Geiger, Thomas Hirschhorn, Gary Hume, Patricia Leite, Jonathan Meese, Bjarne Melgaard, Philip Metten, Yuko Nasaka, Antonio Obá, Hans Op de Beeck, Shahpour Pouyan, Laure Prouvost, Tal R, Magali Reus, Giangiacomo Rossetti, Chris Huen Sin Kan, David Tremlett, Rinus Van de Velde, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Atelier Van Lieshout, Richard Venlet

Exhibition title: Prelude: Melancholy of the Future

Curated by: Antony Hudek

Designed by: Richard Venlet

Venue: Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium

Date: November 5 – December 6, 2020

Photography: Rik Vannevel / images copyright and courtesy of the artists and Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens

Prelude: Melancholy of the Future questions the possibility of anticipating the future at the end of an immensely challenging year. The works in the exhibition play on ideas of prediction, retrospection and longing, suggesting alternatives to the progressist logic of before-and-after.

As a charity exhibition, all the works in Prelude: Melancholy of the Future are for sale during the exhibition. Because the cultural sector across the board has been hit hard this year, the exhibition’s proceeds will be shared between Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, the participating artists, and in many cases their galleries. Prelude: Melancholy of the Future is an opportunity to reflect on how to sustain a museum over time thanks to its communities of support.

Participating artists
Ida Barbarigo, Meriem Bennani, Pierre Bismuth, Katinka Bock, Manon de Boer, Lucia Bru, Michael Dean, Edith Dekyndt, Kasper De Vos, Lieve D’hondt, David Douard, Jeronimo Elespe, Luca Frei, Ryan Gander, Anna Bella Geiger, Thomas Hirschhorn, Gary Hume, Patricia Leite, Jonathan Meese, Bjarne Melgaard, Philip Metten, Yuko Nasaka, Antonio Obá, Hans Op de Beeck, Shahpour Pouyan, Laure Prouvost, Tal R, Magali Reus, Giangiacomo Rossetti, Chris Huen Sin Kan, David Tremlett, Rinus Van de Velde, Paul Van Hoeydonck, Atelier Van Lieshout, and Richard Venlet.

Curated by Antony Hudek and designed by Richard Venlet, Prelude: Melancholy of the Future is accompanied by a catalogue with commissioned essays by Edith Doove and Oscar van den Boogaard.

HOPE HAS NO RIGHT ANGLES Take-Out Gala by Rirkrit Tiravanija postponed until further notice

In support of MDD, Rirkrit Tiravanija and top chef Antto Melasniemi have concocted original dim sum recipes. Each order comes with 9 dim sum, presented in a reusable monogrammed box, in a limited edition of 500. The dim sum are frozen, for easy steaming at home. place your order

Select your preferred pick-up location between MDD (Deurle), AAIR (Antwerp), Établissement d’en face (Brussels) or KAAP (Ostend).

By placing an order you gain access to the online gala starting at 7pm, introduced by Tiravanija and Melasniemi, followed by keynote lectures by Agniya Mirgorodskaya (founder Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art) and Chris Dercon (director Grand Palais Paris).

Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens
With over fifty years of significant exhibitions, MDD is about to embark on the first phase of a long-term renovation plan, starting with its famed ‘pavilion’ wing. Prelude: Melancholy of the Future is its last exhibition before renovation.