RETREAT

Unexpected views
On June 28th the exhibition RETREAT at KunstFort Asperen will be open to the public. Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos invited 12 artists to exhibit works which provide surprising interpretations on the theme of RETREAT from differing disciplines and perspectives. Participating artists are: Frank Havermans, Tobias Rehberger, Absalon, Jerszy Seymour, Andrea Zittel, Lucy Orta, Hans Op de Beeck, Ann Lislegaard, Pipilotti Rist, Cosmic Wonder & Yukinori Maeda, Sandra Backlund, A.P. Komen/Karen Murphy. The theme shares a close affinity with the work of Van Berkel and Bos, combining a rich and diverse theoretical position to which the artists respond in their own ways and with very specific ideas surrounding spatial experience.

RETREAT – away from daily routine
For Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos the KunstFort Asperen and its surroundings was the starting point for the theme RETREAT. The fortress has lost its original function, whereby the perception of place and space has changed. This transition from defence post to idyllic place forms the premise of the exhibition. The theme, although reflecting today’s socio-economic realities, was in fact chosen prior to the current global crisis. For a long time van Berkel and Bos have been interested in exploring places and spaces which extend function and stretch reality. The RETREAT exhibition this Summer offers the visitor a place where the practicalities and duties associated with daily routines can momentarily fade.

Reflections
UNStudio has designed a spatial installation which reinterprets the organization of the fort and forms the binding element between the exhibited works. The structure winds through the fort like a ribbon, playing with the changing perceptions and experiences of the space, both literally and symbolically. The material and the diamond structure of the installation reflect the exhibited artworks which are installed around the fort.

Multidisciplinary
Ben van Berkel (architect) and Caroline Bos (art historian) are the founders of the international architecture practice UNStudio, based in Amsterdam. Since 1989 they have worked on numerous projects of differing scale and typology. Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos are inspired by different disciplines, ranging from fashion and art to science and developments in the field of technology. UNStudio projects include the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam (NL), the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart (DE), the Music Theatre in Graz (AT), the Theatre Agora in Lelystad (NL) and the Galleria Department Store in Seoul (KR).