Autumn of 2023 at Z33

The autumn season at Z33 is entirely dedicated to the theme of 'the art center as a unique learning environment.' The three exhibitions, This Is Us, Classroom, and Jef Geys makes school, each offer their own perspective on this concept and will be on display at Z33 - House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture in Hasselt from October 1st.

This autumn, Z33 has chosen the theme of 'the art center as a unique learning environment.' With this theme, the institution once again fulfills its mission of connecting art with socially relevant themes.

Under the theme 'the art center as a unique learning environment,' Z33 has grouped three exhibitions into one project, with 'learning' as the common thread.

The exhibition This Is Us presents collections from the four largest Flemish museums of contemporary art for the first time in one location. The central question is the role that the art institution plays as an alternative or experimental learning environment. What do we learn from art? What does art teach us?

In the architecture exhibition Classroom, the architecture of schools is examined closely. This European collaboration aims to provoke reflection: what constitutes a learning environment? Can the public space also be our learning environment? Can a museum or a contemporary art exhibition also be our learning environment?

With the third exhibition, Jef Geys makes school, Z33 brings together the work of the Belgian artist Jef Geys (1934-2018) created during the period from 1963 to 1989 when he was a teacher at the Rijksmiddelbare school in Balen.

The autumn exhibitions of 2023 call upon us to look at contemporary art with a curious eye and contemplate the nature of a 'learning environment.' Encouraging curiosity forms a crucial foundation for lifelong learning and the development of 21st-century skills. Art institutions are one of the few public spaces where people can disagree with each other: in art, there is no right or wrong opinion; it's all about stimulating dialogue.

THIS IS US
01.10.23 > 18.02.24

Under the theme of 'the artistic learning environment,' This Is Us brings together works from the collections of the four largest Flemish museums for contemporary art, namely M HKA, S.M.A.K., Mu.ZEE, and M Leuven, for the first time at a single location. The exhibition features works by nearly fifty artists, with more than half of them residing and working in Belgium. It represents a unique collaboration between these prestigious museums and Z33.

In addition to the already-known works, the exhibition also presents seven new artworks created specifically for this exhibition. This further challenges the dialogue between the past and the present, creating an artistic learning environment that can sharpen, align, or shift perspectives.

This Is Us is divided into three chapters - The Art Institution, Living Spaces, and Telling Stories - which delve into the art center as a place for the transformation of knowledge through artworks.

The exhibition includes works by: Richard Artschwager, John Baldessari, Sammy Baloji, Dara Birnbaum, Audrey Cottin, Anne Daems, N. Dash, Robert Devriendt, Marlene Dumas, Mona Filleul, Andrea Fraser, Joris Ghekiere, Karin Hanssen, Ann Veronica Janssens, Jean Katambayi Mukendi, Felix Kindermann, Aglaia Konrad, Wolfgang Laib, Konrad Lueg, Natasja Mabesoone, Dyan Marie, Kerry James Marshall, Hana Miletić, Bruce Nauman, Otobong Nkanga, Cady Noland, Clare Noonan, Sophie Nys, Willem Oorebeek, Meret Oppenheim, Ria Pacquée, Marina Pinsky, Avery Preesman, Emmanuelle Quertain, Peter Rogiers, Jura Shust, Monika Stricker, Ana Torfs, Keith Tyson, Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven, Michael Van den Abeele, Emmanuel Van der Auwera, Jan Van de Kerckhove, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Anna Zacharoff en Heimo Zobernig.

Curator: Fabian Flückiger

CLASSROOM
01.10.23 > 18.02.24

The coronavirus crisis emphasized that where and how you learn plays a significant role during the transition phase from child to adult. Classroom reflects on the development of adolescents through the lens of the classroom.

The exhibition is divided into five chapters: Production, Embodiment, Assembly, Transgression, and Profession. Each chapter reflects on an iconic 20th-century school building that is still in use today and symbolizes a particular vision of adolescence.

Curator: Joaquim Moreno 

About the project

The Classroom exhibition is a co-production with Garagem Sul (Lisbon), arc en rêve centre d'architecture (Bordeaux), and Z33 House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture (Hasselt). This project is co-financed by the European Union.

JEF GEYS MAKES SCHOOL
01.10.23 > 18.02.24

The exhibition Jef Geys makes school focuses on the work created by the Belgian artist Jef Geys (1934-2018) during the period from 1963 to 1989 when he was a teacher at the Rijksmiddelbare School in Balen.

His most remarkable artworks emerged from direct practice within the school and through his inherent, organic talent as an unparalleled educational force, aimed at dispelling various unbearable myths and disguises of lived reality. The world map, women's questions, ABC école de Paris, coloring book for adults, emotional playbox... remain crucial works in his oeuvre that continue to be highly relevant to this day.

Additionally, the book The School of Jef Geys will be published, available in the Z33 shop, featuring memories and mementos about Jef Geys from more than 40 people from Balen and the surrounding areas.

Curator: Luk Lambrecht

INTO THE UNKNOWN 01.10 > 10.12.23 Finally, in collaboration with Kunstenwerkplaats VONK, Z33 presents Into The Unknown by the Limburg artist Steve Robyns (1981). He is a Limburg-based creator, designer, and artist who works from a long-standing fascination with the extraterrestrial and space exploration. The title refers to Robyns' artistic quest for a new visual language and humanity's urge to seek out unknown and extraterrestrial worlds. The artist draws inspiration from documentaries and science fiction films. This first solo exhibition showcases seven artistic designs that balance between the functional and non-functional realms. Robyns provides a coherent and personal response to current trends in autonomous and collectible design. Curator: Annelies Thoelen PRACTICAL INFORMATION This Is Us 01.10.23 > 18.02.24 Classroom 01.10.23 > 18.02.24 Jef Geys makes school 01.10.23 > 18.02.24 Into the Unknown 01.10 > 10.12.23 New: one ticket, double the fun. A ticket for the autumn exhibitions at Z33 allows you to visit the exhibitions twice with the same ticket. Z33 – House for Contemporary Art, Design & Architecture Bonnefantenstraat 1, B-3500 Hasselt z33.be With the support of the Flemish government, National Lottery, and the city of Hasselt.   About Z33 – Huis voor Actuele Kunst, Design & Architectuur Z33 is a groundbreaking art institution in Hasselt, at the intersection of contemporary art, design, and architecture.