Thu 15.11 → 18:00-…   Fri 16.11 → 14:00-20:00    Sat 17.11 → 11:00-18:00     Sun 18.11 → 11:00-18:00

Always In The Kitchen
Combining forces for the multidisciplinary art festival Always In The Kitchen, Gouvernement and CAMPO reunite artists and audience in a familiar yet disturbing setting: an IKEA®-kitchen. For three weeks the space is challenged by curators, theatre makers and artists. An unusual context emerges and acts as the blank canvas for the different disciplines, while obtaining multiple layers with every happening.
From off-beat installations and theatrical kitchen scenes to in situ art works and total sensory experiences, nothing, not even the freezers or stoves, will be spared. Week I focuses on theatre & text, week II evolves around visual arts and week III casts a light on cross-overs between music, performance, video and much more.
Week II: Visual art

During the second week of Always In The Kitchen, we’ve chosen Bent Van Looy and Martena Duss as the chef de partie, the curators for the visual art section. He’s a musician and visual artist, she’s a creative entrepreneur. Both share interest in visual art as well as various off-track challenges in which they can combine their refined knowledge and versatile skills. Now they’ve gathered a selection of young, committed visual artists after having visited art schools and ateliers, or via contacts in their personal or mutual networks of artists. The result of this spontaneous selection happens to offer a kind of overview of what’s trending lately in the art world.
With the kitchen as the umbrella theme of the festival, Van Looy and Duss draw upon its natural, lively energy. The kitchen is alive and acts as a central hub embracing everyday life, no matter how heavy or bright life can be.
Instead of the usual objects on the kitchen counter, sauce stains or jackets and shoes on the floor, they put forward a combination of works which are either already made or specifically created for cupboards and fruit bowls. As the artists challenge and make us revalue or appreciate that living space in another way, the exhibition hovers from subtle notes of humour and surrealism to innovating works, unexpected or poppy momentums and explosiveness.
Participating artists are Nel Aerts, Ruben Bellinkx, Kasper De Vos, Niels Goos, Viktor Hachmang, Kate Isobel Scott, Stephane Kozik, Kim Noble, Charline Tyberghein, Domas van Wijk and Tom Volkaert.
Textual background and digital handout can be found in the links below (version in Dutch and English):
Always In The Kitchen: beeldende kunst_NL
Always In The Kitchen: visual art_ENG
Tumult.fm, cultural sidekick of Urgent.fm, had a chat with Gouvernement’s artistic coordinator (and much more than that) Nele Keukelier about the festival, events and kitchen.

Tumult.fm also came by and talked with Bent Van Looy, Martena Duss, Domas van Wijk and Stephane Kozik about the eclectic selection of artists in the blank canvas alias kitchen and the artistic interventions they hope to realise.

The wonderful photographer Michiel Devijver commemorated the evening on camera. Relive the opening, or have a look at the exhibition.
Entrance to the kitchen expo is free.
Go to the facebook event for more updates.
It’s in the press! Go read De Morgen’s visit at Gouvernement and chat with some of the artists and curators, or Het Nieuwsblad’s coverage of the festival.
Organised by CAMPO and Gouvernement, as part of Always In The Kitchen.
Many thanks to IKEA® Ghent.
Artwork by Lukas Verstraete