Guided Tour

31 May 2018, 18.00-21.00

Evening Tour of First Person Plural

Doug Ashford, Six Moments in 1967 and Some of its Bodies, 2010–2011, tentoonstelling Eerste persoon meervoud: empathie, intimiteit, ironie en woede bij BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht, 2018. Foto: Tom Janssen

On the evening of Thursday 31 May 2018, BAK opens its doors and the exhibition First Person Plural: Empathy, Intimacy, Irony, and Anger (on view until 22 July 2018). A guided tour of the exhibition is given by the curator of the exhibition, Matteo Lucchetti. You can sign up for this tour via this form.

On this day, BAK maintains its regular opening time of 13.00 hrs, and remains open until 21.00 hrs. At 18.30 the tour starts. Entrance fees still apply. The tour is free of charge. Capacity is limited. Please RSVP to ensure a spot. Language: English.

About the exhibition:

The group exhibition First Person Plural: Empathy, Intimacy, Irony, and Anger inquires into the emotional infrastructures of the present. What roles do emotions and affects play in forming collectivities and political belonging? What kind of “we’s” do empathy, intimacy, irony, and anger assemble, and how do they determine which “first person plurals” someone is part of? And where does the affective power of art stand in these processes?

The exhibition considers these questions along contemporary political, economic, technological, and social challenges—including the alarming surfacing of fascisms in public life. Pondering the emotional as an organizing force across political spectrums, emotions are understood not as individual mental states but as collective material and affective practices that are both shaped by and shape social life. The works in the exhibition challenge the familiar, divisive narratives of a “we,” such as the nation and the so-called “refugee crisis,” and allude to emotions as entry points for manipulation.

The exhibition features works by artists Doug Ashford, Sven Augustijnen, Tala Madani, Liz Magic Laser, Eva and Franco Mattes, Otobong Nkanga, and Sarah Vanhee, as well as a library space conceived by 2017/2018 BAK Fellow Sepake Angiama. Titled We Summon All Beings Here Present, Past & Future, this space features books, films, audio pieces, and posters, as well as a series of public workshops to activate them.

Entrance fees BAK

€ 5 Regular Admission
€ 2,50 <18, students, CJP, and seniors
€ 0 <12, AICA, ICOM, Museum Card, and U-Pass

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