Collection presentation

During its collection presentations, MDD aims to explore the intrinsic qualities of specific artists represented in the collection. Eugène Laermans, Edgard Tytgat, Marthe Wéry, and Joëlle Tuerlinckx were chosen, representing four generations of artists originating from the Brussels region. Laermans experienced success at the end of the nineteenth century, while Tuerlinckx has only been active on the international art platform in the last ten years. One hundred years of art history naturally entail significant shifts in the approach to art by both the artist and the viewer. At the same time, parallels, reflections, and contrasts become evident in the ‘confrontation’ of different bodies of work: use of color, spatial interaction, humor, composition, etc. All four hold their significance in Belgian art history while simultaneously authentically deviating somewhat from the native artistic traditions of their time.

In the context of the twentieth anniversary of Art en Marge, the project 20 + 20 is taking place in various museums in Belgium. Twenty artists from the Art en Marge collection (which contains over 1800 works by Belgian and foreign outsider artists) are juxtaposed with artworks from the collections of twenty Belgian museums. MDD has opted for a dialogue between the works of Pascal Tassini (born 1955 in Liège) and Joëlle Tuerlinckx.

Pascal Tassini creates knots with strips of fabric cut from canvas and clothes. The fabrics he brings together and knots have a history; his works become condensations of moments, relics of experiences. He cuts to reassemble. The knot is a fascinating metaphor for confinement and suppression. Some knots can never be undone; from some knots, no one can ever escape.