Mutualisms

'Mutualisms' is a collaborative curatorial project organized by Lise Baggesen and Kirsten Leenaars that explores the ways in which networks of friendship and artistic collaboration can be used as a model for curating.

'Mutualisms’ is looking into artistic strategies for finding hospitality and exchange in the context of contemporary art practices as well our own social domain. ‘Mutualisms’ reflects upon the reality of a world that is more and more characterized by an increasing flexibility and extendedness of our professional - friend - and artistic network and reflects on how we place our selves within this interconnected community. Working with a transparent model of structuring and altering artistic contexts, networks and relationships we aim to put together a show with a critical understanding of how an artist negotiates ones own position within contemporary discourse and our lived realities.

Our intention is to initiate mutually beneficial relationships between artists in Chicago and the Netherlands. Hopefully these relationships can also be reversed in the future so that a ‘guest’ can become a ‘host’ and vice versa. The intention with this project is twofold; to introduce artists to the Chicagoan art scene whose work has not previously been shown here, but also to directly introduce artists from the Netherlands to artists in Chicago in the hope that these connections will develop and pave the way for future collaborations and possibly and exhibition of Chicago based artists in the Netherlands.

This is our first effort as a collaborative curatorial team, adding another layer of ‘mutualism’ in the process. In our selection of Dutch and Chicago artists we have focused on artists who have a well-recognized (international) practice, and are in addition practicing teachers, publishing magazines, running exhibition spaces and leading public forums. Hence these artists are able to affect multiplier effects through exchange and production and are equipped to use this show as a platform from which to jump from to instigate future collaborations. Participating artists are: Carol Jackson, Selina Trepp, Harold Mendez, Aron Gent, Trevor Gainer, Adelheid Mers, Lora Lode & Kevin Kaempf, Mark Jeffrey & Judd Morrissey, Marjolijn Dijkman, Saskia Janssen, Maurice Bogaert, Albert Van Westing, Magnus Monfeldt, Jonas Ohlsson, Iris Kensmil, Rune Peitersen and writers Caroline Picard and Erik Hagoort.

It is our intention to instigate early communications between the paired artists so they will have time to develop a relationship in whatever way they choose prior to the exhibition. It is up to the artists how they want to engage with one and another.  During the exhibition we will organize a series of events and public artist talks in ‘talk show’ format between the pairs, in which the ‘host’ introduces the ‘guest’ to a broader public, in front of a ‘live audience’. In addition Dutch artist Maurice Bogaert will create a special ‘Mutualism’ edition of his ‘Houtskool’ publication.

Mutualisms
September 9-25, 2011
At Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219 -21 South Morgan Street, Chicago
Opening September 9, 6-10 pm
Symposium: September 11, 1-5 pm
Opening times: Wed-Sun 1-5 pm

Mutualisms blog: http://mutualisms.wordpress.com/

Art & Reciprocity blog: http://artandreciprocity.wordpress.com/

Interview on Bad at Sports